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PRINCETON,  N.  J. 


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Diviiion 
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THE    LUTHERAN    COMMENTARY 


A    PLAIN    EXPOSITION    OF   THE 


i^olp  c^crijjturejBf  of  tfjc  i^etJD  ^t^tmmt 


BY 

SCHOLARS  OF  THE  LUTHERAN  CHURCH  IN  AMERICA 


EDITED   BY 

HENRY  EYSTER  JACOBS 


Vol.  V. 


€l)e  Cjjrtjeftian  literature  €o. 


MDCCCXCV 


"Vine.   LutKcro^n     comwcn  \jLr^/. 


ANNOTATIONS 


GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN 


PROF.    A.  SPAETH,  D.D. 

Professor  of  Hermetieutics  and  N.  T.  Exegesis,  Lutheran  Seminary,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


flew  l^orft 

€fje  Cf)n^tian  Ititcrature  <Co* 


MDCCCXCVI. 


Copyright,  1896, 

BY 

THE  CHRISTIAN  UTERATURE  COMPANY. 


PREFACE. 


The  treatment  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  as  presented 
in  this  volume  of  the  Lutheran  Commentary  is  in  some 
respects  different  from  the  volumes  which  have  thus 
far  appeared. 

In  the  introduction  the  points  referring  to  the  Isagogics 
of  this  Gospel  have  received  somewhat  fuller  considera- 
tion. The  writer  endeavored  to  give  a  brief  survey  of 
those  features  which  are  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the 
fourth  Gospel,  and  to  show  its  relation  to  the  other 
Gospels,  the  three  Synoptists. 

The  question  of  authorship  has  also  been  taken  up  in 
a  brief  summary,  furnishing  the  reader  with  the  principal 
testimonies  in  favor  of  the  Apostle  St.  John  as  the  writer 
of  this  Gospel.  This  has  been  done  without  a  full 
"  review  of  the  battle  that  may  be  raging"  about  this 
point,  but  in  such  a  manner  that  the  lay-members  of  the 
Church  may  have  within  easy  reach,  a  short  survey  of  the 
main  question,  and  the  leading  arguments  on  the  positive* 
side.  In  view  of  the  overtowering  importance  of  the 
fourth  Gospel  for  the  faith  of  the  Christian  Church,  we 
did  not  feel  justified  in  passing  this  point  in  silence. 

The  exposition  of  the  Gospel  itself  does  not  propose 
to  give  a  detailed  explanation  of  the  words  of  the  text, 
in  a  series  of  exegetical  annotations  from  verse  to  verse. 
It   rather  aims  to  set   forth  the   contents  of  this  most 

iii 


iv  PREFACE. 

organic  of  all  the  Gospels,  in  one  continuous  argument. 
Though  the  style  and  language  of  this  exposition  may 
sometimes  approach  that  of  the  homily  rather  than  that 
of  a  Commentary,  the  results  here  presented  are  based 
on  careful  and  conscientious  exegetical  studies,  covering 
the  most  prominent  publications  in  the  field  of  the  exegesis 
of  this  Gospel,  down  to  the  exposition  of  the  Gospel  of 
St.  John  by  Professor  F.  W,  Bugge  of  Christiania, 
Norway.  This  last  named  work,  which  came  into  the 
author's  hands  after  two-thirds  of  this  exposition  were 
written,  has  been  a  great  encouragement  to  him.  For 
what  is  offered  in  Bugge's  commentary,  the  writer  had 
planned  to  present  in  a  somewhat  briefer  and  simpler 
form,  "  a  psychological  exposition,  which,  without  learned 
discussions  and  excursus  seeks  to  follow  the  one  con- 
tinuous thread  which  runs  through  the  whole  Gospel." 

Some  years  ago  the  author  delivered  a  course  of  seven 
lectures  on  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  for  the  American 
Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  in  Philadelphia.  Some  of 
these  "  Studies  "  were  published  in  the  Lutheran  Church 
Review    and    are    substantially    incorporated    into    this 

volume. 

A.  S. 


PROLEGOMENA. 


I.  Introductory  Ronarks. 

It  has  been  well  said  by  Dr.  M.  Luther  :  "  Let  every 
Christian  exert  himself  to  understand  well  the  Gospel  of 
John  and  to  be  posted  in  it;  for  John  is  the  master- 
evangelist  and  his  Gospel  the  one,  true,  tenderest 
chief  Gospel,  a  commentary  and  exposition  of  the  whole 
Bible." 

Nor  can  we  for  a  moment  be  in  doubt  concerning  the 
influence  and  importance  of  this  Gospel  in  the  history  of 
the  Church.  While  it  is  true  that  Paul  "  labored  more 
abundantly  than  they  all"  in  the  missionary  field,  gather- 
ing, organizing  and  building  up  the  churches  by  his 
preaching  and  his  epistles,  it  is  equally  true  that  John 
gave  to  the  Church  that  clear  consciousness  of  being  a 
communion  of  believers,  with  one  confession  in  which 
everything  centres  in  the  one  mystery  of  God  incarnate. 
Take  away  the  Gospel  of  John  and  where  is  our  Nicene 
Creed,  with  its  ringing  trumpet  sounds:  "God  of  God, 
Light  of  Light,  Very  God  of  Very  God?"  Julian  the 
Apostate  correctly  saw  the  imprint  of  John  in  the  whole 
theology  of  the  fourth  century :  "  He  is  the  cause  of  all 
the  mischief,  for  he  declared  that  the  Word  was  made 
flesh."  In  the  Reformation  era  the  paramount  influence 
towards  the  restoration    of  sound  Apostolic  doctrine   is 

v 


vi  PROLEGOMENA. 

usually  ascribed  to  the  Pauline  epistles,  especially  those 
to  the  Romans  and  Galatians.  While  this  was  true 
concerning  the  doctrines  of  sin  and  grace,  we  must  not 
forget  that  back  of  these  doctrines,  particularly  in  Luther's 
teaching,  stands  the  great  and  fundamental  doctrine  of 
Christ's  person,  back  of  Paul  stands  John,  with  his  tes- 
timony of  the  true  God-man.  And  as  for  our  present 
time,  with  its  theological  and  religious  conflicts,  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  everything  turns  again  on  the  great, 
old  question  :  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ?  WHOSE  SON 
is  He?  Transfer  this  question  to  the  sphere  of  New 
Testament  LITERATURE  and  it  reads:  What  think  ye  of 
the  Gospel  of  John?     What  is  it  to  you  ? 

II.    The  Life  and  Personal  Character  of  the  Apostle  John. 

With  the  exception  of  Judas  Iscariot,  all  the  Apostles 
called  by  the  Lord,  during  the  three  years  of  His  public 
ministry,  were  Galileans.  So  also  was  John,  the  son  of 
Zebedee  and  Salome,  His  mother  was  not,  as  has  been 
supposed  by  some,^  the  sister  of  Mary  the  mother  of 
Jesus.  His  home  was  in  oneof  the  towns  along  the  lake  of 
Galilee,  probably,  not  certainly,  in  Bethsaida.  His  father, 
though  a  plain  fisherman,  seems  to  have  been  somewhat 
wealthy.  He  had  his  "  hired  servants  "  (Mark  i.  20),  and 
Salome  was  one  of  the  women  who  ministered  unto  the 
Lord  of  their  substance  (Luke  viii.  2,  3).  Her  interest 
in  the  cause  of  Jesus  also  manifests  itself  in  that  am- 
bitious petition,  that  her  sons  might  sit,  one  on  the  right, 
the  other  on  the  left  hand  of  the  Lord  in  the  kingdom  of 
God  ;  an  ambition,  though  not  altogether  free  from  carnal 
zeal,  yet  showing  an  unlimited  devotion  to  the    Lord's 

1  In  order  to  explain  the  intimate  relation  between  John  and  Jesus. 


LIFE  AND  PERSONAL  CHARACTER  OF  ST.  JOHN.       yii 

cause.  Under  the  training  of  this  mother,  the  two  sons, 
James  and  John,  were  led  to  join  the  disciples  of  John 
the  Baptist  as  soon  as  he  began  to  preach  the  kingdom 
of  heaven.  John  the  Baptist  directed  him  to  the  Lord, 
probably  with  that  striking  testimony  :  "  Behold  the 
Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world  ;  " 
and  John,  in  company  with  Andrew,  the  brother  of 
Peter,  followed  the  Lord,  as  one  of  His  first  adherents 
from  the  Jordan  to  Cana  (John  i.  35  ff.).  In  Galilee  he 
was  formally  called  to  the  apostleship,  together  with  his 
brother  James  (Matt.  iv.  21).  Simon  Peter  and  James 
and  John,  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  are  represented  in  the 
Synoptical  Gospels  as  standing  in  a  more  intimate  re- 
lation to  the  Lord  than  the  other  nine  apostles.  At  the 
raising  of  Jairus'  daughter  (Luke  viii.  51),  on  the  mount 
of  transfiguration  (Matt.  xvii.  i,  and  Mark  ix.  2)  and  in 
the  garden  of  Gethsemane  (Mark  xiv.  33,  Matt.  xxvi.  37), 
they  form  the  select  inner  circle  nearest  to  their  Lord. 
And  among  these  three  there  is  one  still  nearer  to  the 
heart  of  the  Lord  than  the  other  two — one  that  is 
anonymously  spoken  of  as  the  disciple  "  whom  Jesus 
loved."  It  is  the  fourth  Gospel,  which,  while  it  never 
uses  the  name  of  the  Apostle  John,  refers  to  this  beloved 
disciple  in  John  xiii.  23,  xix.  26,  xx.  2,  xxi.  7,  20  fT. 
All  these  passages  belong  to  the  last  chapters  in  the 
life  of  the  Lord,  the  history  of  His  passion  and  glorifica- 
tion, as  if  only  through  the  experience  of  those  mo- 
mentous hours  of  parting  and  meeting  again  the  writer 
had  come  to  a  full  consciousness  of  that  special,  personal 
affection  of  his  Lord  and  Master.  John's  claim  to  the 
title  "  the  beloved  disciple  "  has  been  disputed  by  differ- 
ent writers  in  recent  times.  But  the  disciple  "  whom 
Jesus  loved "  was  undoubtedly  not  only  one  of  the 
twelve,  but  one  of  the  seven  mentioned  in  John  xxi.  2  ; 


viii  PROLEGOMENA. 

yea,  one  of  the  three — Peter,  James  and  John.  It  was 
not  Peter  (see  John  xxi.  20),  nor  was  it  James  whom  Herod 
killed  with  the  sword  (Acts  xii.  2),  about  44  A.  D.,  and 
of  whom  the  opinion  could  never  have  been  entertained 
that  "  this  disciple  dieth  not."  It  could  only  have  been 
John.  He  was  on  the  bosom  of  the  Lord  at  the  Last  Sup- 
per ;  under  the  cross  with  Mary,  who  was  committed  to  his 
care  by  her  dying  Son  ;  at  the  grave  with  Peter,  on  Easter 
morning  ;  and  at  the  Lake  of  Galilee  with  the  risen  Lord. 
After  Pentecost,  as  we  learn  from  the  Acts  and  Gala- 
tians,  John  was  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Church  in  Jeru- 
salem, but  by  far  not  so  prominent  as  Peter,  whose  com- 
panion and  assistant  he  seems  to  have  been  (Acts  iii.  and 
viii.).^  When  Paul  visited  Jerusalem  for  the  second  time 
(Gal.  ii.)  he  met  him  there,  about  50  or  51  A.  D.  After 
the  Council  in  Jerusalem  (Acts  xv.)  we  know  nothing  of 
John  until,  in  later  years,  Ephesus  is  fixed  by  early  tradi- 
tion as  the  place  of  his  abode.  He  probably  left  Jeru- 
salem at  the  outbreak  of  the  Jewish  war,  6'j  A.  D.,  when 
the  Christian  community  withdrew  to  Pella.  Asia  Minor 
was  then  the  most  important  and  the  most  flourishing 
territory  of  the  young  Christian  Church.  Jerusalem  had 
ceased  to  be  the  centre.  Rome  had  not  yet  become  the 
centre.  Ephesus,  the  principal  city  of  Asia  Minor,  formed 
a  sort  of  half-way  station  between  the  two.  There  the 
Apostle  Paul,  on  taking  his  leave  from  the  elders  of  the 
Church,  had  foreseen  and  expected  "  grievous  wolves  to 
enter  in  not  sparing  the  flock — men  speaking  perverse 
things,  to  draw  away  disciples  after  them  "  (Acts  xx.  29 
ff.).  There  we  find  false  apostles  and  Nicolaitans  (Rev. 
ii.  2,  6).     There,  above  all  other  places,  the  presence  of 

1  John  is  not  mentioned  as  present  in  Jerusalem  on  the  occasion  of  Paul's 
first  visit  to  that  city  (Gal.  i.  i8).  Possibly  he  may  have  taken  the  mother 
of  the  Lord,  at  that  time,  to  his  home  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee. 


LIFE  AND  PERSONAL  CHARACTER  OF  ST.  JOHN.       ix 

the  only  surviving  Apostle  was  needed.  To  John  was 
committed  the  task  of  continuing,  defending  and  crown- 
ing the  work  of  St.  Paul  in  Asia  Minor,  building  up  and 
fully  organizing  in  the  unity  of  the  faith  the  churches 
founded  by  the  former.  The  testimonies  of  the  fathers 
concerning  John's  sojourn  in  Ephesus  are  quite  numerous 
and  strong;^  the  principal  witness  being  Irenaeus,  who 
still  remembered  Polycarp,^  the  disciple  of  John,  speak- 
ing to  his  hearers  of  his  beloved  Master.  At  the  time  of 
the  persecution  under  the  Roman  emperor  Domitian, 
John  was  banished  to  the  Isle  of  Patmos,  and  returned 
from  there  to  Ephesus  under  Nerva.  He  lived,  prob- 
ably, to  the  year  loo  or  loi  A.  D. 

Compared  with  the  other  apostles,  especially  Peter, 
John  was  evidently  of  a  quiet,  reticent,  meditative  nature. 
There  is  in  him  a  good  deal  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  the 
Lord,  who  "  kept  all  these  sayings  and  pondered  them 
in  her  heart."  While  Peter  rushes  into  action  with  the 
question — What  can  I  do  ?  walk  on  the  water  ?  build 
tabernacles  ?  smite  with  the  sword  ?  go  into  prison  and 
to  death  ? — John  stands  in  the  background  watching  his 
Lord  with  the  one  question  :  What  is  He  doing?  losing 
himself  in  the  contemplation  of  His  glory.  Thus  he  was 
the  man  above  all  others  not  only  to  receive,  but  to 
reflect  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  to  reproduce  it  most 
fully  in  the  presentation  of  his  Gospel.  What  he  ob- 
served and  retained  in  his  quiet  receptivity,  he  afterwards 
testified  most  faithfully,  without  adorning  or  reconstruct- 
ing it  from  his  own  imagination,  simply  being  witness  of 

1  The  various  characteristic  anecdotes  or  legends  of  the  later  life  of  the 
Apostle,  such  as  meeting  Cerinthus  in  the  public  bath,  rescuing  the  lost 
youth,  being  carried  into  the  assembly  of  the  congregation,  with  his  dying 
admonition  :  "  Little  children,  love  one  another," — all  belong  to  Asia  Minor. 

2  Born  A.  D.  70. 


X  PROLEGOMENA. 

what  he  had  heard  and  seen,  with  a  certain  monotonous 
plainness. 

This  receptivity,  however,  is  only  one  side  in  John's 
character,  the  one  turned  towards  the  Lord.  But  there 
is  another  side  in  him,  turning  towards  the  world  and 
everything  that  is  against  his  Lord.  Here  we  find  him  a 
man  of  stern  decision,  and  indomitable  energy,  admitting 
of  no  compromises  ;  the  son  of  thunder,  ready  to  call  the 
fire  from  heaven  upon  the  Samaritans,  that  would  not 
receive  Jesus  ;  and  forbidding  the  man  whom  he  found 
casting  out  devils  in  the  Master's  name,  because  he  fol- 
lowed not  with  them.  The  picture  of  John  which  we 
are  accustomed  to  see,  with  the  soft,  dreamy,  feminine 
features,  is  therefore  a  very  incomplete  and  unsatisfactory 
representation  of  his  true  character.  It  may  be  said 
without  hesitation  that  Paul,  the  fiery,  zealous  Paul,  is 
milder  and  gentler  in  many  respects  than  John,  the 
"  Apostle  of  love,"  who  allows  no  middle  ground,  no 
putting  off  or  considering,  but  insists  on  your  prompt 
decision  for  or  against,  life  or  death,  light  or  darkness, 
truth  or  lie,  love  or  hatred,  God  or  devil.  Paul,  from  his 
own  abundant  experience,  describes  the  process  of  justifi- 
cation, the  genesis  and  development  of  Christian  life,  the 
transition  from  the  old  to  the  new,  the  continued  struggle 
between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit,  the  old  man  and  the 
new.  With  John  everything  is  complete,  settled,  decided  ; 
the  battle  is  over,  the  victory  won.  His  is  the  absolute, 
the  ideal  presentation,  not  only  of  Christ,  but  also  of  the 
Christian  and  of  Christianity.  He  would  never  have 
gained  the  heathen  for  the  gospel  as  Paul  did,  becoming 
all  things  to  all  men,  that  he  might,  by  all  means,  save 
some.  But  John  was  the  man  to  hold  what  Paul  had 
gathered,  and  to  guard  it  in  its  fulness  and  purity  against 
every  admixture    and    defilement  which   threatened  the 


RELATION  BETWEEN  JOHN  AND  THE  SYNOPTISTS.   xi 

Church  towards  the  close  of  the  ApostoHc  era,  when  anti- 
christian  spirits  were  hfting  up  their  heads,  denying  the 
very  foundation,  Christ  the  God-man.  John,  who  had  so 
little  to  say  during  the  lifetime  of  the  other  apostles,  had 
the  last  word  for  the  Church  in  those  days  of  imminent 
danger.  Now  he  is  right  in  sending  the  thunderbolts  of 
the  Spirit  against  those  Christian  Samaritans,  the  heretics, 
who  strove  to  supplant  the  Gospel  by  a  revised  Judaism 
or  a  paganism  in  Christian  garb.  Now  he  is  right  in 
fighting  those  half-and-half  men  with  his  zealous,  intoler- 
ant love  for  the  whole  undivided  Lord.  Now  the  dilem- 
ma is  truth  or  lie,  Christ  or  Antichrist. 

III.    TJie  Gospel  of  St .  J  oh  n . 

I.   THE   RELATION   BETWEEN  THE   FOURTH    GOSPEL   AND 
THE  THREE  PRECEDING  ONES,  THE  SYNOPTISTS. 

The  Church  had  no  need  to  wait  for  the  acuteness  and 
learning  of  modern  criticism  to  make  the  important  dis- 
covery that  between  the  first  three  Gospels,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  last  Gospel  on  the  other,  there  are  marked 
differences,  not  simply  as  to  form,  style  and  manner  of 
treatment,  but  also  in  matter  and  contents  ;  which  differ- 
ences have  been  exaggerated  by  modern  scientists  into 
an  irreconcilable  antagonism,  so  that  with  their  "  synop- 
tical Christ,"  whom  alone  they  will  admit  as  historical, 
they  claim  to  be  able  to  abolish  and  wipe  out  the  Christ 
of  the  fourth  Gospel, — "  a  purely  visionary  and  ideal  ab- 
straction, without  true  historical  foundation."  Augustine 
pointed  out  the  difference  in  this  manner:  "John  has 
risen  higher  than  the  other  three  Evangelists.  They  walk 
with  the  Lord  on  earth  as  with  a  man,  saying  compara- 
tively  little    of   His    divinity.     But   John    soared    above 


xii  PROLEGOMENA. 

earth  and  heaven  and  all  the  hosts  of  angels,  to  come  to 
Him  through  whom  all  things  are  made.  He  spoke  of 
the  Divinity  of  Christ  as  no  other  Evangelist  has  done. 
Drinking  from  the  fountain  at  the  very  bosom  of  the 
Lord,  he  has  proclaimed  publicly  what  he  drank  in 
privately."  Thus  far  Augustine,  and  it  is  only  fair  to 
say  that  the  plainest  Bible  reader  cannot  fail  to  notice 
the  important  and  striking  differences  between  John  and 
the  Synoptists. 

Let  us  try  to  look  calmly  but  clearly  into  this  whole 
matter,  seeking  for  the  truth,  and  nothing  but  the  truth, 
and  ready  to  accept  it  wherever  it  be  found.  First  of 
all,  we  will  try  to  array  the  principal  points  of  difference 
against  each  other,  and  then  we  will  consider  the  ques- 
tion, whether  these  differences  really  involve  contradic- 
tions, or  whether  they  do  not  rather  serve  as  explanations, 
complements  and  solutions  of  problems  otherwise  mys- 
terious and  unsatisfactory,  thus  proving  that  the  different 
accounts  of  the  one  Gospel  of  our  Lord,  presented  by  the 
four  Evangelists,  belong  together,  and  conjointly  furnish 
us  that  complete  and  many-sided  picture  of  the  Lord  and 
His  work  which  the  Church  needs  as  the  foundation  for 
a  pure  faith. 

I.  TJie  Differences  of  a  Chronological  and  Historical 
Nature. — After  the  preliminary  history  of  the  birth  and 
childhood  of  the  Lord  and  the  preparatory  work  of  His 
forerunner,  John  the  Baptist,  the  Synoptists,  in  narrating 
the  public  ministry  of  the  Lord,  take  us  at  once  into  His 
Galilean  ministrations  ;  Matthew,  after  a  sort  of  general 
description  of  the  Galilean  work  (iv.  12-25),  opening  with 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount ;  Mark,  with  the  healing  of  the 
demoniac  in  the  synagogue  at  Capernaum  ;  Luke,  with 
the  discourse  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  all  three 
showing  a  certain  indifference  as  to  the  exact  scene  with 


RELATION  BETWEEN  JOHN  AND  THE  SYNOPTISTS.    xiii 

which  the  pubHc  ministry  of  the  Lord  in  GaHlee  was 
opened.  But  the  fourth  Gospel  is  very  minute  and  care- 
ful in  describing  the  first  ofificial  beginnings  of  the  Lord 
in  Judaea,  long  before  the  Galilean  work  began  :  the  first 
acquaintance  of  Jesus  with  His  first  disciples  on  the  Jor- 
dan (i.  35  ff.),  the  beginning  of  their  faith  strengthened 
and  developed  by  the  first  sign  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and 
the  first  public  appearance  of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah,  not 
in  Galilee,  but  in  Jerusalem,  in  the  sanctuary  itself,  the 
centre  of  Israel's  faith  and  worship. 

The  chronological  arrangement  of  the  life  and  work  of 
Jesus,  according  to  the  Synoptists,  seems  clear  and  plain 
enough  at  first  sight.  It  simply  divides  itself  into  two 
principal  parts:  first,  the  Lord's  work  in  Galilee;  sec- 
ondly, His  going  up  to  Jerusalem  to  suffer  and  die,  to 
rise  from  the  dead  and  ascend  into  Heaven.  It  looks 
like  one  continued  stay  in  Galilee,  uninterrupted  by  any 
journeys  to  Judaea  and  Jerusalem,  and  finally  one  journey 
to  Jerusalem  to  end  His  life  on  the  cross.  The  natural 
impression  from  this  account  would  be  that  the  whole 
public  ministry  of  the  Lord  occupied  just  one  year,  and 
this  year,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  week,  spent  in 
Galilee  or  outside  of  Jerusalem. 

How  different  the  perspective  which  the  Gospel  of 
John  opens  to  our  eyes  !  It  speaks  of  three  (or  possibly 
four)  distinct  Easter  seasons  during  the  public  life  of  the 
Lord,  thereby  extending  it  over  a  period  of  three  j^ears. 
It  mentions  five  or  (if  His  coming  to  Bethany  after  Laz- 
arus' death  be  counted  separately)  six  different  journeys 
to  Jerusalem,  while  it  has  very  little  to  say  of  the  works 
and  discourses  of  Christ  in  Galilee,  though  the  signs 
which  He  did  there  on  them  that  were  sick  are  referred 
to  in  a  general  way  (John  vi.  2).  After  John  the  Baptist 
had  prepared  the  way  for  the  Lord  by  his  powerful  testi- 


xiv  PROLEGOMENA. 

mony  in  Jiidcea  (not  in  Galilee),  it  would  have  been 
strange  indeed  if  Christ  Himself  should  have  passed  by 
this  territory  at  the  beginning  of  His  public  ministry. 
But  the  fourth  Gospel  tells  us  distinctly  that  He  did  make 
His  of^cial  beginning  in  Judaea  and  Jerusalem,  after  His 
Baptism  by  John,  on  His  first  Easter  visit  to  the  city. 
After  this  beginning  in  Judcxa,  He  came  to  Galilee  ^ 
(John  iv.  3),  where  the  preaching  of  the  Baptist  had  not 
been  heard.  He  therefore  acts,  so  to  speak,  as  His  own 
forerunner  in  Galilee.  He  begins  there  with  preaching 
exactly  what  the  Baptist  had  been  preaching  in  Judsea  : 
"  Repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand."  After  a 
few  months  He  returns  to  Jerusalem  for  the  next  Pass- 
over, iv.  45  ;  v.  I  (supposing  that  ^  lopzr^  refers  to  this  fes- 
tival). Then  and  there  already  His  teaching  becomes  such 
an  offence  to  the  Jews  that  they  seek  to  kill  Him,  "  be- 
cause He  not  only  had  broken  the  Sabbath,  but  said  also 
that  God  was  His  Father,  making  Himself  equal  with 
God."  At  the  time  of  the  third  passover  mentioned  in 
John,  Jesus  is  in  Galilee  (vi.  4),  the  reason  for  his  Galilean 
sojourn  being  again  the  enmity  of  the  Jews  :  "  He  would 
not  walk  in  Judaea,  because  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  Him  " 
(vii.  i).  At  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles  He  again  goes 
up  to  Jerusalem,  "  not  publicly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret  " 
(vii.  2,  10).  About  two  months  afterwards  we  find  Him 
in  Jerusalem  at  the  Festival  of  the  Dedication  (x.  22). 
When  they  renewed  their  effort  to  take  Him,  He  escaped 
out  of  their  hand,  and  went  away  beyond  Jordan,  to 
Peraea,  where  John  was  first  baptizing,  and  many  believed 
on  Him  there  (x.  40-42).  He  returned  to  Bethany  for 
the  raising  of  Lazarus  (ch.  xi.),  which  led  to  the  final  res- 

1  The  increase  in  the  number  of  His  disciples  had  been  a  provocation 
and  offence  to  the  Pharisees.  Hence  His  withdrawal  into  Galilee  (John 
iv.  I  ff.). 


RELATION  BETWEEN  JOHN  AND    THE  SYNOPTISTS.        xv 

olutionof  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  "  to  put  Him  to 
death,"  He  therefore  departed  once  more  into  the  coun- 
try near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called  Ephraim, 
and  there  He  tarried  with  His  disciples.  Then  comes  the 
last  Passover,  His  royal  entrance  into  Jerusalem  for  His 
passion  and  death. 

This  is  in  the  main  the  order  of  events  in  the  fourth 
Gospel ;  and  while  it  opens  many  new  aspects  and  clears 
up  many  obscure  points,  it  is  nowhere  in  conflict  with  the 
Synoptists,  but  presents  the  main  pillars  for  a  complete 
and  clear  chronology  of  the  Lord's  public  life,  affording 
ample  space  for  all  His  work  in  Galilee  and  outside  of 
Jerusalem,  as  detailed  by  the  Synoptists.  The  intervals 
between  the  first  Passover  (John  ii.)  and  the  last  (John  xii.) 
of  which  the  fourth  Gospel  has  no  special  doings  or  say- 
ings of  the  Lord  to  record,  though  it  defines  them  very 
clearly,  amount  in  all  to  about  twenty-six  months.-^  And 
this  is  certainly  room  enough  to  store  away  every  item 
found  in  the  Synoptical  Gospels  in  distinction  from  John, 
particularly  if  we  remember  that  all  the  events  and  dis- 
courses in  the  life  of  Christ  which  are  given  in  the  fourth 
Gospel  actually  cover  only  thirty  single  days  out  of  about 
one  thousand  days  of  His  public  ministry  ! 

So  far,  then,  the  differences,  however  obvious,  involve 
no  contradictions.  Frequently  the  new  and  additional 
information  furnished  in  the  fourth  Gospel  helps  to  clear 
up  dark  passages  and  to  remove  misunderstandings. 
The  bright  sunlight  of  ulterior  harmony  between  John 
and  the  Synoptists  breaks  through  the  passing  clouds 
which  for  a  time  threatened  to  overcast  the  sky. 

It  is  admitted  on  all  sides  that  the  writer  of  the  fourth 

1  There  are  several  months  between  John  iv.  and  v. ;  one  month  [possibly 
a  whole  year]  between  ch.  v.  and  vi. ;  seven  months  between  ch.  vi.  and 
vii. ;  three  months  between  ch.  vii.  and  x.  22. 


xvi  PROLEGOMENA. 

Gospel  was  well  acquainted  with  the  record  of  the  Synop- 
tists,  and  that  he  takes  it  for  granted  that  they  are  also 
well  known  to  his  readers.  Neither  the  Synoptists,  on 
the  one  hand,  nor  the  fourth  Gospel,  on  the  other,  claim 
completeness  in  their  presentation  of  the  life  of  Christ. 
The  impossibility  of  furnishing  an  absolutely  complete 
record  of  the  many  things  He  did  is  very  forcibly  set 
forth  in  John  xxi.  25  :  "  Even  the  world  itself  would  not 
contain  the  books  that  should  be  written."  The  Synop- 
tists evidently  knew  of  certain  movements  and  doings  of 
the  Lord  which  they,  confining  themselves  to  His  Gali- 
lean ministry,  did  not  enter  into  more  fully.  And  so  the 
writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel  has  a  full  knowledge  of  Gali- 
lean events  and  other  facts  which  he  passes  by.  He 
writes  "  as  one  who  knows  that  there  are  other  books 
treating  of  the  same  subject,  and  who  gives  his  own  ac- 
count rather  unconcerned  about  his  apparent  agreement 
or  disagreement  "  (Renan).  His  recognition  of  the  first 
three  Gospels  does  not  mean  dependence,  much  less  an- 
tagonism, but  confirmation.  In  i.  40  Andrew  is  intro- 
duced as  the  brother  of  Simon  Peter,  though  the  latter 
has  not  been  mentioned  before  in  this  Gospel.  The  dis- 
tinct statement,  John  ii.  12,  that  at  that  time  the  Lord 
abode  in  Capernaum  "not  many  days"  is  evidently  made 
with  a  view  to  the  longer  sojourn  of  the  Lord  in  Caper- 
naum as  His  own  city,  of  which  the  Synoptists  have  so 
much  to  say.  In  John  vi.  70  reference  is  made  to  the 
choosing  of  twelve  apostles  as  a  previous  fact,  though  the 
fourth  Gospel  thus  far  has  only  narrated  the  calling  of 
five(i.  35  fT.)  disciples.  Again,  this  first  calling  of  the  five 
as  disciples  of  the  Lord  helps  us  to  understand  the  readi- 
ness with  which,  at  a  later  period,  on  the  Lake  of  Galilee, 
they  followed  the  call  of  the  Lord,  which  made  them 
fishers  of  men,  apostles,  as  the  Synoptists  tell  us.     In  John 


REL  A  TION  BE  TWEEN  JOHN  AND  THE  S  YNOP  TIS  TS.      x v  i  i 

xi.  I  Bethany  is  called  the  village  of  Mary  and  Martha, 
though  those  sisters  have  not  been  mentioned  before  in 
this  Gospel.  All  these  points,  to  which  others  might  be 
added,  are  in  reality  so  many  references  to  things  gener- 
ally known  from  the  previous  record  of  the  Synoptists. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Synoptists  contain  certain 
passages  which  clearly  demand  or  pre-suppose  other  and 
more  extended  periods  in  the  life  of  the  Lord  than  those 
belonging  to  His  Galilean  ministry.  There  is  an  ex- 
tended section  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  forming  more 
than  one-third  of  the  whole  book,  from  ix.  51  to  the  i8th 
chapter,  which  deals  with  journeyings  of  the  Lord  be- 
tween Galilee  and  Jerusalem.  At  first  sight  they  may 
impress  us  as  being  all  in  the  South  of  Galilee  and 
(towards  the  end)  in  Peraea.  But  if  we  come  to  Luke 
X.  38  and  read  :  "  As  they  went  on  their  way,  He  entered 
into  a  certain  village,  and  a  certain  woman  named  Mar- 
tha received  Him  into  her  house,  and  she  had  a  sister 
called  Mary," — it  is  certainly  the  most  natural  thing  to 
think  of  Bethany, ''  the  village  of  Mary  and  Martha,"  as 
the  fourth  Gospel  calls  it. 

Again,  the  Synoptists  tell  us  of  certain  people  living  in 
Jerusalem  and  the  neighborhood  who,  at  very  short  notice, 
were  willing  to  grant  to  the  Lord  the  use  of  their  animals 
(at  the  entrance  into  Jerusalem)  and  their  house  (at  the 
preparation  of  the  Supper).  They  must  have  become 
acquainted  with  Him  on  former  occasions,  so  as  to  ac- 
knowledge Him  as  their  Lord  and  Master.  The  same 
must  be  said  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who  figures  so  con- 
spicuously in  the  Synoptical  Gospels  as  "  a  disciple  of 
Jesus  "  (Matt,  xxvii.  57  ;  Mark  xv.  43;  Luke  xxiii.  50  ff.). 
When  and  where  did  he  become  a  disciple  of  the  Lord  if 
not  on  former  visits  of  Jesus  to  Judaea  and  Jerusalem  ? 

But  the  most  direct  and  conclusive  proof  in  this  direction 
2 


xviii  PROLEGOMENA. 

is  the  well-known  saying  of  the  Lord  (Luke  xiii.  34  and 
Matt,  xxiii.  37) :  "  O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem  !  which  killeth 
the  prophets  and  stoneth  them  that  are  sent  unto  her  ! 
Hoiv  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together, 
even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  own  brood  under  her  wings, 
and  ye  would  not  !  "  This  "  How  often  "  is  certainly  not 
to  be  limited  to  the  testimonies  of  the  Lord  during  the 
six  days  after  His  iinal  entrance  to  Jerusalem.  Only  six 
days,  and  all  is  over  ?  Yea,  only  two  days,  and  the  fig- 
tree  is  cursad,  and  the  rejection  of  Israel  announced  ?  Is 
it  possible  that  on  His  first  public  appearance  in  Jerusa- 
lem the  Lord  should  within  two  or  three  days  have 
drawn  upon  Himself  such  an  infernal  hatred  of  the  chiefs 
and  Pharisees  that  His  death  was  at  once  determined 
upon  ?  On  the  other  side,  the  Synoptists  themselves 
testify  to  the  exceedingly  slow  growth  of  the  understand- 
ing and  faith  of  the  disciples  and  of  the  patience  the 
Lord  had  to  exercise  in  dealing  with  them  as  their 
teacher  and  pastor.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  one  year  is 
entirely  too  short  for  their  slow  and  gradual  develop- 
ment. Both  the  hatred  of  His  enemies  and  the  faith  of 
His  disciples  required  such  a  period  of  time  as  is  clearly 
and  satisfactorily  furnished  in  the  fourth  Gospel. 

2.  Differ enees  in  the  Form  and  Language  of  the  Lord's 
Discourses. — There  is  certainly  a  manifest  difference  in 
the  form  of  the  discourses  of  Christ  contained  in  the 
fourth  Gospel  compared  with  those  in  the  Synoptists. 
In  John  they  are  more  dramatie  :  the  form  of  the 
dialogue  is  far  more  frequent  than  in  the  other  three. 
The  utterances  of  the  Lord  consequently  are  more  of 
a  personal  character  from  His  first  conversation  with  the 
disciples  (John  i.)  to  His  dealings  with  the  governor, 
Pilate.  T\\Q  pastoral  element  predominates  in  John,  over 
against  the   homiletical  in  the    Synoptists,  who  give  us 


RELATION  BETWEEN  JOHN  AND   THE  SYNOPTISTS.      xix 

chiefly  discourses  addressed  to  the  multitudes.  Closely 
connected  with  this  is  the  use  of  the  parable  in  the 
Synoptists  as  the  favorite  form  of  speaking  to  the  masses, 
while  in  the  fourth  Gospel,  at  first  sight,  this  use  of  the 
parable  seems  altogether  wanting.  In  vain  do  we  look 
in    John    for    that     familiar    phrase :   "  The   kingdom   of 

heaven  is  likened  unto "     And  the  difference  in  the 

surroundings,  particularly  the  different  character  of  the 
hearers  of  the  Lord  in  the  fourth  Gospel,  would  sufficiently 
account  for  the  change  in  the  form  of  His  addresses. 
But  the  parabolic,  figurative  form  of  teaching  is  by  no 
means  missing  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  Only  there  is 
another  theme  to  it.  In  the  Synoptists  it  is  the  "  King- 
dom of  God,''  in  John  it  is  the  Head  and  Ki)ig  of  that  king- 
dom Hwtself,  who  is  likened  to  the  things  of  this  world  : 
I  am  the  Life,  the  Light,  the  Way,  the  Spring  of  living 
waters  (iv.  14  and  vii.  37,  38),  the  Bread  from  heaven,  the 
Door,  the  Good  Shepherd,  the  Vine,  the  Grain  of  Wheat 
which  in  dying  beareth  much  fruit  (xii.  24).  But  we  all 
feel  these  expressions  go  beyond  the  purely  figurative  or 
parabolic  speech.  The  thing  that  signifies  and  He  who 
is  signified  are  one  in  these  terms.  He  is  the  way,  the 
light,  the  life,  in  the  absolute  sense.  He  is  not  simply 
like  unto  a  ivay.  The  wonderful  realism  of  the  union 
between  the  Divine  and  the  Human,  the  Logos  and  the 
flesh  in  which  He  appeared,  reflects  itself  even  in  these 
simple,  popular  and  yet  most  deep  and  comprehensive 
terms.  In  fact,  the  whole  Gospel  of  John  is  thoroughly 
imbued  with  that  heavenly  symbolism  and  realism  which 
reads  the  signs  of  divine  manifestation  everywhere  in  the 
universe,  in  all  the  processes  of  nature,  the  stages  of 
human  life,  the  events  of  sacred  and  profane  history.'^  A 
few  references  may  suffice  to  illustrate  this  :  The  Temple, 
1  Cf.  Goethe  :  "  Alias  Vergangliche  ist  nur  ein  Gleichniss. 


XX  PROLEGOMENA. 

ii.  19;  the  Serpent  in  the  wilderness,  iii.  14;  the  Manna, 
vi.  31,  32;  the  Passover  Lamb,  xix.  36;  and  again  the 
wind,  iii.  8  ;  the  birth,  i.  12,  13  ;  iii.  5  ;  the  marriage  re- 
lation, iii.  29  ;  the  harvest  field,  iv.  35,  36 ;  the  day  with  its 
hours,  ix.  4  ;  xi.  9  ;  the  woman  in  the  hour  of  giving  birth 
to  her  child,  xvi.  21.  We  may  also  point  to  Pilate,  the 
representative  of  Pagan  Rome,  in  its  relation  to  the 
Gospel;  the  inscription  on  the  cross  in  Hebrew,  Latin 
and  Greek,  the  first  polyglot  of  the  Gospel  ;  the  blood 
and  water  from  the  pierced  side  of  the  Lord,  etc.  In  all 
this,  John  is  richer,  deeper,  fuller  than  the  Synoptists, 
— nowhere  in  conflict  with  them,  but  towering  high  above 
them. 

3.  TJie  Tone  and  Spirit  of  tJic  Lord' s  Language  in  His 
Conversations  with  the  Jezvs  in  Jerusalem,  as  has  been 
justly  observed,  is  quite  different  from  what  we  are  ac- 
customed to  in  His  Galilean  addresses.  On  the  Lake  of 
Galilee,  in  the  borderland  of  Paganism,  in  the  midst  of  a 
despised  population,  among  publicans  and  sinners,  we 
find  the  Lord,  on  the  whole,  much  more  condescending, 
lenient  and  forbearing  with  the  weak  and  lowly.  But  in 
Jerusalem,  among  the  chiefs  and  rulers  of  the  people,  in 
the  very  centre  of  Israel's  religious  life.  He  was,  even 
from  the  outset,  more  severe.  In  Galilee,  as  we  said  be- 
fore. His  own  preaching  was,  on  the  whole,  more  of  a 
preparatory,  introductory  character.  In  Jerusalem  He 
at  once  came  to  the  main  point  and  centre  of  His  testi- 
mony :  His  own  person.  Here  the  preaching  of  the 
Baptist  had  prepared  the  way  for  Him.  Here  the  Law 
and  the  Prophets  were  known  to  all.  But  here  the 
teachers  and  leaders  of  God's  people  had  fortified  them- 
selves against  the  preaching  of  repentance.  Being  wise 
and  learned  in  their  own  eyes,  they  would  not  listen  to  a 
Galilean  as  their  teacher.     Counting  themselves  among 


REL A  77 ON  BE  TIVEEN  JOHN  A ND  THE  S YNOP TIS TS.      xxi 

those  "  that  are  whole,"  they  needed  no  physician,  and 
least  of  all  would  they  accept  the  Nazarene  as  the  promised 
Messiah  and  the  Son  of  God.  The  Lord,  of  necessity, 
was  much  severer  with  them  from  the  beginning  than 
with  the  Galileans.  And  the  rejection  of  His  testimony 
here  would  naturally  lead  to  a  crisis  in  a  comparatively 
short  time.  Indeed,  if  the  Lord  had  not,  from  time  to 
time,  withdrawn  from  Jerusalem  to  Galilee,  the  final 
catastrophe  would  have  come  much  sooner.^ 

The  Galilean  addresses  recorded  by  the  Synoptists  show 
us  the  Lord,  so  to  speak,  in  his  every-day  dress  and  walk, 
away  from  the  holy  places  and  out  of  the  festival  seasons, 
moving  among  the  fishermen  and  their  nets  and  boats, 
tossed  about  on  the  very  waves  of  that  turbulent  lake, — 
yea,  among  the  herdsmen  of  Gadara  and  their  swine. 
But  the  conversations  and  discourses  of  the  fourth  Gospel 
have  a  wonderful  solemnity  and  dignity  about  them. 
They  all  belong  to  the  great  festival  seasons  of  the  Jewish 
year  ;  here  the  Lord  moves  in  the  sanctuary  itself,  "  His 
Father's  house."  He  stands  before  us  in  holiday  attire. 
He  grants  to  the  Holy  City  and  to  Mount  Zion  the  most 
important  and  direct  manifestation  of  His  glory,  that  one 
ever-repeated  testimony  :  I  am  He  !  I  and  the  Father 
are  one!  But,  strange  to  say,  all  those  great,  blessed 
festival  days  of  Israel,  which  were  thus  hallowed  by  His 
presence, — the  Passover,  the  Feast  of  the  Tabernacles,  the 
Feast  of  the  Dedication, — were  turned  into  days  of  awful 
responsibility,  seasons  of  hardening  the  hearts  of  carnal 
Israel;  they  knew  not  the  time  of  their  visitation. 

4.  The  Differences  in  Matter ;  the  Doctrinal  Aspect  of 
the  Utterances  of  the  Lord  in  fohn,  as  compared  with  the 

'  The  Synoptists,  however,  are  not  behind  the  fourth  Gospel  in  some  of 
their  statements  directed  against  the  Pharisees.  See  the  Baptist's  preach- 
ing, Matt.  iii.  and  the  Lord's  •'  Woe  "  to  the  Pharisees  in  Matt,  xxiii. 


xxii  PROLEGOMENA. 

Synoptists. — The  main  point  under  this  head  has  been 
referred  to  before.  The  principal  theme  in  the  synoptical 
discourses  of  the  Lord  is  tJic  kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness,  the  members  of  this  kingdom  and  their 
duties,  and  the  growth  and  development  of  the  kingdom. 
In  the  fourth  Gospel  the  one  main  theme  is  the  Lord 
Himself,  His  person  as  the  God-man,  the  only-begotten 
Son  of  the  Father.  Our  very  salvation  is  bound  up  in  this  : 
"  Except  ye  believe //!rt^/<a:;;zy/(?,  ye  shall  die  in  your  sins  " 
(viii.  24).  This  is  His  solemn  testimony  to  His  enemies; 
and  to  His  friends  and  disciples  it  is  essentially  the 
same,  though  in  a  less  threatening,  more  positive  form  : 
"  From  henceforth  I  tell  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that 
when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe  tJiat  I  am  He  " 
(xiii.  19). 

In  the  Synoptical  Gospels  the  Lord  has  to  answer  all 
sorts  of  questions  concerning  the  law  and  the  way  to 
eternal  life.  In  the  fourth  Gospel  the  one  great  question 
with  which  He  deals  is:  WJio  art  TJioiif  (viii.  25).  The 
synoptical  discourses  enter  minutely  into  the  description 
of  the  last  things  and  the  Lord's  second  coming  to  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead.  The  fourth  Gospel  beautifully 
balances  these  statements  by  revealing  the  present  judg- 
ment which  is  quietly  going  on  in  the  hearts  of  men  : 
"  He  that  believeth  not,  being  judged  already,  because  he 
hath  not  believed  on  the  name  of  the  only-begotten  Son 
of  God  "  (iii.  17-19  ;  comp.  also  v.  24,  45  ;  ix.  39,  41  ;  xii. 
48).^  And  over  against  the  second  coming  of  the  Lord  in 
the  far-off  future,  it  emphasizes  His  continued  presence 
with  His  own  in  mystical  union  through  the  Spirit.  (See 
the  parting  discourses,  John  xiv.-xvii.)     The  difference 


^  For  judgment  came  I   into  this  world,  that  tliey  which  see  not  may  see, 
and  that  they  which  see  may  become  bUnd. 


RELA  TION  BETWEEN  JOHN  AND  THE  SYNUPTISTS.    xxiii 

here  again  is  one  of  mutual  complement,  not  of  exclusive 
antagonism  ;  for  John  also  knows  of  "  the  resurrection  of 
judgment  "  (v.  29),  and  the  Synoptists  are  not  ignorant 
of  the  promises  of  the  Lord  :  "  Where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  My  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst 
of  them,"  and  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world  "  (which  might  be  fittingly  called  the 
theme  of  John  xiv.-xvii.). 

Owing  to  the  peculiar  concentration  which  character- 
izes the  fourth  Gospel,  the  range  of  subjects  treated  in  its 
discourses  is  naturally  much  )nore  limited  than  in  the 
Synoptists.  We  observe  in  John  a  constant  recurrence 
to  the  one  thing  needful.  It  is  the  Lord  !  To  believe  in 
Him,  to  love  Him,  to  have  Him  abiding  in  the  heart,  to 
be  one  with  Him, — this  is  the  one  great  subject.  How 
different  from  this,  for  instance,  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount !  What  a  variety  of  references  to  the  details  of 
practical  life  with  its  cares,  its  struggles,  its  duties  and 
dangers  !  Surely  we  would  not  like  to  miss  those  graphic 
details  of  Christian  ethics,  as  they  are  set  forth  in  Matt. 
v.-vii.  But  much  less  can  we  afford  to  miss  the  solemn 
testimony  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  setting  forth  the  one 
source  of  this  new  ethical  life  with  all  its  various  fruitful 
branches:  Christ  believed  in;  Christ  united  with  the  be- 
liever by  faith.  Those  are,  indeed,  glorious  things  which 
are  said  in  Matthew  of  the  disciples  as  the  children  of  the 
heavenly  Father,  being  free  from  care,  happy,  perfect, 
kind  and  merciful,  being  the  salt  and  the  light  of  the 
world,  and  of  the  beatitudes  of  the  poor  in  spirit,  the 
peacemakers,  the  pure  in  heart,  etc.  But,  after  all,  the 
main  question  remains  to  be  answered  :  How  can  those 
that  are  evil  by  nature  ever  attain  to  such  a  spiritual  con- 
dition ?  How  can  they  that  are  flesh,  born  of  flesh,  ever 
be  truly  children  of  the  Father  in  heaven  ?     And  to  this 


xxiv  PROLEGOMENA. 

question  the  plain  answer  is  returned  in  the  fourth 
Gospel:  "Ye  must  be  born  anew"  (iii.  7). 

We  repeat  once  more  :  This  is  a  variety  of  aspects,  but 
no  collision,  no  antagonism.  The  one  blends  most 
beautifully  with  the  other.  There  is  ihe  pcriphciy  in  the 
Synoptists, — the  kingdom  of  God  with  the  manifold  and 
detailed  duties  of  its  citizens  ;  and  there  is  the  centre  in 
the  fourth  Gospel, — Christ  the  God-man  Himself,  the 
head  and  heart  of  all.  No  periphery  without  a  centre, 
and  no  centre  without  a  periphery.  They  belong  together, 
and  in  their  union  round  off  the  complete  fulness  of  God's 
revelation  in  Christ.  There  are  two  sets  of  witnesses  stand- 
ing at  that  river  of  life,  some  looking  downward,  following 
with  their  eyes  its  ramifications  and  channels  as  it  spreads 
itself  over'  the  meadows,  carrying  life  and  growth  and 
quickening  in  every  direction  ;  the  other  looking  upward, 
following  its  silver  thread  up  to  the  lofty  heights  where 
the  life-spring  gushes  forth  from  the  everlasting  rock. 
This  is  the  difference  in  the  view  presented  by  the  Synop- 
tists and  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  But  it  is  one  and  the  same 
river,  one  and  the  same  water  of  life  which  they  all 
describe. 

It  is,  therefore,  one  and  the  same  Christ  whom  we  find 
in  their  different  presentations.  True,  the  divine  majesty 
of  Christ,  His  oneness  with  the  Father,  and  consequently 
His  existence  co-equal  with  the  Father  before  the  world, 
is  much  more  in  the  foreground  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  It 
is  the  central,  dominant  idea  in  John.  But  it  is  not 
altogether  'lacking  in  the  Synoptists  ;  not  even  in  those 
parts  which  are  generally  passed  by  when  this  topic  is  in 
question.  Take,  for  instance,  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
and  trace  the  evidences  of  the  majesty  and  divine  author- 
ity of  Christ  through  that  discourse,  for  which  ancient  and 
modern  rationalists  have  always  professed  peculiar  admira- 


RELATIOiV  BETWEEN-  JOHN  AND  THE  SYNOPTISTS.     xxv 

tion,  while  shutting  their  eyes  to  its  undeniable  testimony 
on  the  Person  of  Christ.^  The  one  sentence  in  the 
formal  institution  of  baptism:  "Into  the  name  of  the 
Father  and  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost,"  speaks  volumes 
on  that  fundamental  article  of  Christian  faith,  the  divinity 
of  Christ,  and  this  is  a  synoptical  passage  (Matt,  xxviii.  19). 
One  word  yet  on  the  identity  of  the  synoptical  Christ 
and  that  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  and  we  are  done  with  this 
topic.  Where  in  the  synoptical  Gospels  the  Lord  enters 
most  fully  into  the  mystery  of  His  own  person  as  the 
God-man,  He  uses  language  which  is  so  exactly  like  that 
of  the  fourth  Gospel  that  even  the  most  critical  eye  fails 
to  discover  a  difference.  "  All  things  have  been  deliv- 
ered unto  Me  of  My  Father;  and  no  one  knoweth  the 
Son  save  the  Father :  neither  doth  any  know  the  Father 
save  the  Son  and  he  to  whomsoever  the  Son  willeth  to 
reveal."  Thus  it  is  written,  not  in  John,  but  in  Matthew 
xi.  2"]. 

II.  THE  PECULIAR  CHARACTER   OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL. 

I.  TJie  Language. — No  one,  in  reading  even  a  few 
verses  of  this  fourth  Gospel,  can  fail  to  be  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  childlike  simplicity  of  its  language. 
The  essence  of  Christian  truth  has  here  been  reduced  to 
the  briefest,  plainest  and  most  comprehensive  expression. 
Its  plainness,  both  as  to  the  store  of  words  used  and  the 
manner  of  their  construction  into  sentences,  is  so  obvious 
that  it  amounts  even  to  a  certain  monotony.  The  same 
principal  terms  are  constantly  repeated  ;  such  as  "  be- 
lieve"  (98  times),  *'know"  (55),  "witness"  (55),  "glory" 

^  Matt.  V.  II,  "For  My  sake;  "  22,  28,  32,  34,  39,  44;  "I  say  unto  you," 
vi.  2,  5  ;  vii.  24  ff,  ;  conip.  also  Matt.  x.  15,  16,  18,  22,  23,  32,  t^}^,  37,  39, 
40  ;    Matt.  xi.  6,  10  ff.,  20  ff. 


xxvi  PROLEGOMENA. 

(55),  "  world  "  (78),  "  life  and  live"  (over  50),  "  light  "  (23), 
"name"  (25),  "truth"  (25),  to  "receive,"  "to  take" 
XaiilidvBiv^  (44)-  But  the  profundity  and  comprehensiveness 
of  these  terms  at  once  shows  that  the  simplicity  of  this 
language-  is  not  that  which  we  would  choose  for  an  ele- 
mentary class  of  beginners  in  Christian  knowledge,  but 
rather  that  of  a  final  resume,  in  which  the  fundamental 
ideas  of  Christianity  are  set  forth  in  pithy  terms,  full  of 
meaning.  If  we  take,  for  instance,  those  three  ideas  of 
light,  life,  love,  so  familiar  to  all  the  readers  of  John,  and 
try  to  analyze  them,  we  will  at  once  perceive  how  dififi- 
cult  a  task  it  is,  how  much  is  contained  in  these  simple 
words  ;  we  will  realize  that  it  is  impossible  to  say  more  in 
fewer  words  than  is  said  in  those  simple  statements  :  God 
is  Spirit  ;  God  is  Love ;  in  Him  was  Life,  and  the  Life 
was  the  Light  of  men. 

This  simplicity  also  extends,  as  before  indicated,  to  the 
construction  of  sentences.  They  are  short,  crisp,  concise 
and  plain  as  plain  can  be.  They  have  a  decidedly 
Oriental,  Hebrew  cast,  in  the  quiet,  naive  repetition  of  the 
same  phrases  and  the  circumstantiality  of  expression  in 
minor  details. 

The  Greek  language  is  perhaps  richer  than  any  other 
in  the  means  it  affords  to  construct  beautiful,  complicated 
and  yet  well-rounded  periods,  and  to  set  off  one  clause 
against  another  in  minute  and  delicate  shading  with  the 
help  of  its  numerous  particles.  All  this  wealth  is  cast 
aside  by  the  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel.  His  sentences 
are  short  ;  and  the  more  weighty  and  emphatic,  the 
shorter  they  are.  Clause  islinke'd  to  clause  on  the  princi- 
ple not  of  subordination,  but  of  co-ordination,  so  char- 
acteristic of  the  Hebrew  language.  Or,  we  should  rather 
say,  clause  follows  clause,  because  there  is  no  effort  made 
to  link  them  together  with  conjunctions  in  the  narrative. 


PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL.       xxvii 

Wherever  an  intermediate,  subordinate  thought  comes  in, 
it  is  wedged  in  as  a  sort  of  parenthesis  with  the  utmost 
indifference  to  the  structure  of  the  main  sentence.  (See 
i.  39,  44 ;  iv.  6  ;  V.  9 ;  vi.  4  ;  ix.  14 ;  x.  22  ;  xix.  29  ;  xix.  14.) 

This  very  absence  of  the  refinements  of  artificial  struc- 
ture makes  the  language  of  John's  Gospel  so  powerful 
and  impressive.  (See  such  passages  as  these :  "  Jesus 
wept."  "And  it  was  night."  "Now  Barabbas  was  a 
robber.")  It  is  the  language  of  assurance  and  determina- 
tion, compelling  its  readers  to  yield  to  its  weight  and  to 
believe.  At  the  same  time  it  is  the  language  of  strong, 
striking  contrasts,  frequently  presenting  them  without  a 
connecting  particle,  which  would  indicate  the  antithesis, 
but  none  the  less  emphatic  for  this.  (See  i.  17  :  "  The  law 
was  given  by  Moses ;  grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus 
Christ.")  It  is,  as  Luthardt  says,  the  utterance  of  "  a 
man  brought  up  in  the  holy  language  of  Israel,  but  a 
strong  mind,  a  full  heart,  an  emotional  soul,  ready  to 
burst  out  through  the  calm  peace  and  even  composure." 
Though  there  are  not  many  direct  outward  Hebraisms 
to  be  discovered,  it  is  undeniable  that  "  a  Hebrew  soul 
lives  in  the  speech  of  the  Evangelist "  (Luthardt).^ 

2.  The  Historical  Character  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. — No 
other  gospel  has  such  an  array  of  chronological"^  and  topo- 
graphical statements,  telling  us  at  what  time,  day,  and  even 
hour,  and  at  what  place  the  different  events  are  to  be 
located.^  Moreover,  the  evidences  of  historical  realism 
are  exhibited  not  only  in  these  minute  details  of  dates, 

1  "The  original  thought  in  the  language  of  Palestine;  the  raiment  of 
later  making,  Greek  "  (Credner,  Ewald). 

2  See  ch.  i.  29,  35,  39,  43  ;  ii.  i  ;  iii.  2  ;  iv.  6,  43,  52 ;  vi.  16,  21  ;  vii.  14,  37  ; 
xi.  6,  17  ;  xii.  i,  12;  xiii.  i,  30;  xviii.  28  ;  xix.  14  ;  xx.   i,  26. 

3  Another  feature  which  ought  to  be  pointed  out  in  this  connection  is  the 
frequent  reference  back   to  persons  and  events  that   have  been  mentioned 


xxviii  PROLEGOMENA. 

but  also  in  the  main  lines  of  true  historical  development 
on  which  it  moves.  Let  us  recall  once  more  the  steady 
growth,  the  truly  historic  development  of  the  enmity  of 
the  rulers  against  Christ  3.s  described  in  the  fourth  Gospel. 
We  find  an  indication  of  its  beginning  in  the  very  first 
chapter,  in  the  uneasiness  and  the  spirit  of  inquisition  with 
which  the  forerunner  of  the  Lord  is  looked  upon  by  the 
Sanhedrim.  This  is  followed  by  the  indifference  and  even 
antagonism  with  which  the  first  reformatory  effort  of  the 
Lord  is  received  (ch.  ii.).  Nicodemus,  a  Pharisee  and  ruler 
of  the  Jews,  dare  not  come  to  Jesus  in  open  daylight, — a 
graphic  testimony  of  the  animus  of  that  party  (ch.  iii.). 
The  manifestly  unpleasant  impression  which  the  growing 
influence  of  the  Lord  had  made  upon  the  Pharisees  moves 
Him  to  depart  into  Galilee  (iv.  1-3).  The  first  outburst  of 
open  hostility  (v.  16,  18).  The  sending  out  of  officers 
on  the  part  of  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  to  take  Him 
(vii.  32  ;  cf.  also  ver.  i).  First  attempt  to  stone  Him 
(viii.  59).  Systematic  persecution  and  excommunication  of 
His  adherents  agreed  upon  (ix.  22),  (see  also  ver.  34),  and 
practised  against  the  man  born  blind.  Second  attempt 
to  stone  Him  (x.  31).  Formal  council  of  the  chief 
priests  and  Pharisees  to  put  Him  to  death  and  command- 
ment that  if  any  man  knew  where  He  was,  he  should 
show  it,  that  they  might  take  Him  (xi.  53,  57).  Finally, 
the  counsel  to  put  Lazarus  also  to  death,  because  that  by 
reason  of  hira  many  believed  on  Jesus  (xii.  11).  Herein 
culminates  their  enmity  and  hatred,  and  the  iinal  crisis 
follows  promptly. 

Parallel   with  this  growing   hostility  against  the  Lord, 
there  is,  on  the  other  hand,  the  steady  development  of  the 

before  in  the  narrative  of  the  Gospel:  iv.  46,  Cana;  vii.  50  ;  xix.  39,  Nico- 
demus ;  xviii.  14  to  xi.  50,  Caiaplias.  Also  xi.  2,  pointing  forward  to 
Mary's  anointing  the  Lord. 


PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL.        xxix 

faith  of  the  disciples.  We  can  follow  the  different  stages 
from  the  first  interest  taken  in  Christ  by  Andrew  and  his 
companions  (i.  35  ff.),  through  Peter's  confession  (vi.  Gj- 
69),  to  the  cuhnination  in  that  outburst  of  Thomas : 
"  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  "  (xx.  28).  A  similar  progress 
we  notice  in  the  three  stages  of  the  spiritual  development 
of  Nicodevms :  first,  the  secret  visit  by  night  (ch.  iii.) ; 
next,  the  cautious  and  yet  conscientious  standing  up 
against  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees  (vii.  50  f.) ;  and 
finally,  his  coming  out  boldly  as  the  friend  and  adherent 
of  the  Lord  under  the  cross  (xix.  39).  Another  striking 
illustration  of  the  historical  realism  of  the  fourth  Gospel 
may  be  found  in  that  masterpiece  of  psychological  deline- 
ation, the  description  of  Pilate' s  confliet  between  Jesus 
and  the  Jews  (xviii.-xix.).  No  other  Gospel  affords  us 
such  a  key  to  the  character  of  the  Roman  governor. 

This  leads  us  to  another  point  of  prominence  among 
the  historical  features  of  this  Gospel.  It  is  the  remark- 
able clearness  and  sharpness  ivitJi  zvJiicJi  the  portraits  of 
the  different  characters  are  draivn.  Those  well-known 
figures,  Andrew  and  Philip  and  Nathanael  and  Thomas 
and  Peter,  Nicodemus,  the  Samaritan  woman,  Judas  and 
Caiaphas  and  Pilate  ;  they  are  all  Hfe  portraits,  though 
the  whole  picture  is  done  by  a  few  touches.  However 
typical  some  of  them  may  be,  they  do  not  impress  us  as 
artificial  studies,  to  embody  certain  abstract  ideas,  but  as 
sketches  from  life,  drawn  in  the  most  natural;  unconscious 
manner  by  one  who  clearly  remembered  them  as  they 
stood  and  moved  before  his  eyes. 

Thus  we  come  to  the  last  point  to  be  observed  among 
the  historical  features  of  the  fourth  Gospel.  It  is  the 
personal  interest  in  the  events  narrated  which  the  Evan- 
gelist manifests  from  beginning  to  end.  These  events 
form  a  part  of  his  own  life.     He  presents  us  with  a  sketch 


XXX  PROLEGOMENA. 

of  autobiography  as  well  as  of  Christ's  public  ministry. 
"  We  beheld  His  glory."  The  consciousness  of  this 
blessed  privilege  pervades  the  whole  Gospel.  The  history 
proper  of  the  fourth  Gospel  begins  with  the  time  when 
John,  the  son  of  Zebedee,  was  directed  to  the  Messiah 
through  the  testimony  of  his  first  master,  the  Baptist. 
Those  were  the  most  memorable  days  and  hours  of  his 
own  life,  and  there  his  account  of  single  specified  events 
in  the  life  of  the  Lord  sets  in.  In  the  passage  John  xix. 
35  ^  this  personal  interest  as  an  eye-witness  culminates. 
As  a  circumstantial  evidence  of  the  personal  interest  of 
the  writer  in  the  facts  narrated,  we  might  perhaps  also 
point  to  the  strong  antipathy  which  he  exhibits  against 
Judas  Iscariot,  whose  name  is  never  mentioned  without 
reference  to  the  betrayal  of  the  Lord. 

3.  The  Spiritual  or  Prophetical  Aspect  of  the  History 
presented  1)1  the  Fourth  Gospel. — This  fourth  Gospel,  then, 
has  throughout  the  marks  of  true  historical  realism.  It 
is  history.  But  it  is  more  than  that;  it  is  history  written 
with  the  spirit  of  prophecy.  We  say  prophecy  not  in  the 
narrow  sense  of  looking  forward  into  the  future  and  fore- 
telling it,  but  in  its  true,  original  sense  of  speaking  out 
what  is  hidden,  penetrating  into  the  mysteries  of  God's 
counsel  as  well  as  into  the  secrets  of  the  human  heart,^ 
and  into  the  full  and  true,  eternal  significance  of  all  the 
passing  events  of  this  present  time.  In  fact,  every  true 
historian  must  have  something  of  the  prophet  in  him  to 
see  things  in  the  true  light,  in  the  whole  complex  of  God's 

^  "  He  that  hath  seen  hath  borne  witness,  and  his  witness  is  true,  and  he 
knoweth  that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  also  may  believe." 

2  "  Sir,  I  perceive  that  Thou  art  a  prophet,"'  said  the  Samaritan  woman  to 
the  Lord,  not  because  He  had  foretold  her  future,  but  because  He  had 
penetrated  into  her  past  and  told  her  "  all  things  that  ever  she  did  "  (John 
iv.  19,  39)- 


PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL.        xxxi 

counsel  and  government,  in  the  light  of  eternity.  Facts 
may  be  recorded  as  facts,  and  yet  the  historian  may 
utterly  fail  to  show  their  true  character,  their  import  and 
significance  for  the  universe.  One  of  the  greatest  his- 
torians of  all  times,  the  Roman  Tacitus,  gives  his  state- 
ment of  the  history  of  Christ  after  this  manner  :  "  At 
the  time  when  Tiberius  was  Emperor,  Christ  was  executed 
by  the  governor  Pilate."  All  correct,  true  to  the  very 
word  and  syllable;  and  yet  is  this  a  history  of  Christ ? 
Does  this  give  to  Christ  and  to  the  cross  on  Calvary  their 
proper  place  in  the  history  of  the  world  ? 

Now,  John  is,  in  a  peculiar  sense,  the  prophet  among 
the  Evangelists  and  historians  of  the  New  Testament  (as 
Isaiah  was  the  Evangelist  among  the  prophets  of  the 
Old  Testament).  John's  Gospel,  too,  is  a  "  Revelation  " 
in  the  fullest  and  m.ost  comprehensive  sense  of  the  word. 
With  the  very  first  words  of  his  Gospel  he  takes  his  posi- 
tion on  the  heights  of  eternity,  and  from  there,  with  the 
eye  of  the  true  Seer,  he  penetrates  into  the  mystery  of 
Christ's  person,  and  into  the  true  and  eternal  significance 
of  all  the  historical  facts  he  has  to  present.  While  he  is 
an  eye-witness  to  what  he  describes,  and  presents  that 
which  he  has  seen  with  his  eyes,  and  which  he  has  heard, 
and  which  he  has  looked  upon,  and  his  hands  have  handled 
(i  John  i.  i),  he,  at  the  same  time,  witnesses  and  records 
things  not  less  real,  which  no  human  eye  could  see,  and 
no  human  hand  could  handle, — heavenly  things,  shown 
to  him  by  the  Spirit.  This  is  true,  not  only  of  the  open- 
ing of  the  Gospel  (the  "  Prologue  "),  but,  all  through,  the 
deeds  and  words  of  Jesus  are  presented  in  this  spirit  of 
prophecy.  Everything  becomes  a  sign,  a  manifestation 
of  that  eternal  divine  Love  and  Life  and  Light  of  which 
the  Prologue  spoke.  Hence  the  symbolical  and  prophet- 
ical character  of  so  many  of  the  facts  and  sayings  recorded 


xxxli  PROLEGOMENA. 

in  the  fourth  Gospel,  such  as  the  saying  of  Caiaphas,  the 
anointment  of  the  Lord  by  Mary  in  Bethany,  and  others. 
There  are  only  a  few  of  the  miracles  or  signs  of  the  Lord 
recorded  in  this  Gospel,  and  these  few  were  selected  for 
the  special  reason  that  their  significance  was  fully  de- 
monstrated by  the  Lord  Himself  in  His  accompanying 
utterances.  The  "  signs  "  in  John  as  a  rule  are  the  start- 
ing points  for  the  most  important  discourses  of  Christ. 
The  healing  of  the  sick  man  in  Bethesda  on  the  Sabbath 
day  brings  out  that  full  discourse  on  Christ's  divine  au- 
thority (ch.  v.).  The  feeding  of  the  five  thousand  in 
Galilee  (ch.  vi.)  becomes  the  occasion  for  that  solemn  talk 
in  the  synagogue  at  Capernaum  on  the  Bread  of  Life  that 
came  down  from  heaven.  The  opening  of  the  eyes  of 
the  man  blind  from  his  birth  (ch.  ix.)  suggests  the  fruitful 
theme :  "  I  am  the  Light  of  the  world."  And  in  ch.  xi. 
the  conversation  between  the  Lord  and  the  sisters  in 
Bethany  at  the  raising  of  Lazarus  brings  out  that  glorious 
word  :  "  I  am  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life.  He  that 
believeth  on  Me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live."  Those 
signs  of  Christ  are  not  things  of  the  past.  There  is  in 
them  a  force,  abiding,  divine  and  constantly  present. 
They  are  the  acts  of  Christ,  true  God  and  true  man,  the 
same  yesterday  and  to-day  and  forever,  and  this  gives 
them  their  eternal  and  universal  significance.  Over  the 
death  chamber  in  Jairus'  house  and  over  the  bier  at  Nain's 
gate,  as  well  as  over  all  our  Christian  death-beds  and 
tombs,  we  write  the  words:  "Jesus  Christ,  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  life."  In  the  light  of  the  fourth  Gospel  we 
now  see  more  in  those  miracles  than  the  eye-witnesses, 
including  the  Synoptists  themselves,  could  see.  We  have 
learned  to  read  and  to  preach  John  into  the  Synoptists.^ 

1  This  feature  of  the   Gospel  of  St.  John  is  beautifully  brought  out  in 
♦he  ancient  Latin  verse  by  Adam  of  St.  Victor  (died  1177) 


PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL,     xxxiii 

The  very  fact  that  John's  Gospel  is  written  in  the  full- 
ness of  this  spirit  of  prophecy  makes  it  sometimes  rather 
difficult  to  decide  whether  we  have  the  Lord's  own  words 
before  us  or  those  of  the  Evangelist.  In  the  Synoptists 
such  a  difficulty  is  out  of  the  question.  There  we  can 
always  clearly  distinguish  the  writer  from  the  Lord  and 
His  own  words.  But  between  the  Lord  and  His  beloved 
disciple  there  is  such  a  mystic  union  that  their  very  words 
and  thoughts  seem  amalgamated. 

4.  The  Theological  CJiaractcr  of  the  Fourth  Gospel. — In 
passing  now  to  the  special  consideration  of  the  theological 
or  doctrinal  character  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  we  have  first 
of  all  to  answer  the  question  whether  this  Gospel  was 
written  with  a  direct  and  specific  polemical  or  apologetical 
design,  in  opposition  to  certain  dangerous  errors  and 
heresies  by  which  the  early  Church  was  threatened. 
Such  designs  have  been  ascribed  to  this  Gospel  already 
by  the  Fathers.  In  fact,  "  there  is  scarcely  a  heresy 
which  the  ancients  did  not  think  this  Gospel  directed 
against."  Irenaeus  found  in  it  the  refutation  of  the 
doctrines  of  Cerinthus  and  the  Nicolaitans,  the  cotem- 
poraries  of  John  ;  others  held  that  it  was  directed  against 
those  Judaizing  errorists  known  in  church  history  under 
the  name  of  Ebionites ;  others,  against  the  disciples  of 
John  the  Baptist.  The  majority,  however,  of  ancient 
and  modern  writers  look  upon  it  as  an  apostolic  protest 
and  defence  against  those  powerful  systems  of  theolo- 
gical or  rather  philosophical  speculation,  commonly  called 

Volat  avis  sine  meta.  Up  soars  the  eagle  to  unmeasured 

Quo  nee  vates  nee proplteta  heights,     which     neither      bard     nor 

Evolavit  altins.  prophet  ever  reached  before. 

Never  has   mere   man   seen   more 

Tam  implemia  quam  itnpleta  clearly  so   many  mysteries    of  things 

Nunquam  vidit  tot  secreta  fulfilled  in  the  past  and  yet  to  be  ful- 

Funis  homo piirius.  filled  in  the  future. 

3 


xxxiv  PROLEGOMENA. 

"  Gnosticism,"   which  attacked  the  very   foundations  of 
Christianity. 

We  wilHngly  admit  it  as  a  historical  fact,  that  Paul 
already  in  his  late  epistles  had  to  combat  new  and  dan- 
gerous forms  of  error  which  threatened  the  churches  of 
Asia  Minor,  and  which  were  most  prolific  in  that  hotbed 
of  heresies,  the  City  of  Ephesus.  (See  Acts  xx.  29,  30 ; 
Rev.  ii.  2,  the  Nicolaitans.)  It  was  no  longer  the  setting 
up  of  the  Law  and  its  works  against  Faith  and  the  Grace 
of  the  Gospel ;  but  now  it  was  knowledge  against  faith, 
claiming  to  be  a  higher  stage  of  Christian  development, 
a  sort  of  philosophy  of  religion,  as  Paul  describes  it, 
I  Tim.  vi.  20,  21,  in  his  solemn  warning  to  Timothy: 
"  The  oppositions  of  the  knowledge  (science),  which  is 
falsely  so  called,  which  some  professing  have  erred  con- 
cerning the  faith."  The  representatives  of  this  false 
science  or  knowledge  (Gnosis,  Gnostics,  Gnosticism)  most 
likely  are  the  same  men  of  whom  the  First  Epistle  of 
John  speaks  as  "  Antichrists  "  belonging  to  "  the  last 
times."  The  dangerous  influence  of  these  men  mani- 
fested itself  both  in  the  sphere  of  doctrine  and  of  life. 
In  the  former  there  was  a  tendency  to  slight  and  lose 
sight  of,  yea,  an  actual  denial  of  the  greTit  historical  facts, 
the  concrete  realities  of  Christianity,  above  all,  the  funda- 
mental fact  of  incarnation, — "that  Jesus  Christ  is  come 
in  the  flesh,"  ^  or  "  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son   of 

'  I.  Johniv.  2  :  "  Every  spirit  which  confesseth  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come 
in  the  flesh  is  of  God;"  ver.  15:  "  Whosoever  shall  confess  that  Jesus  is 
the  Son  of  God,  God  abideth  in  him,  and  he  in  God  ;  "  ii.  22  :  "  Who  is 
the  liar  but  he  that  denieth  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  ?  This  is  the  anti- 
christ, even  he  that  denieth  the  Father  and  the  Son." 

To  the  Gnostic  the  Divine  can  never  become  incarnate,  because  it  is  a 
mere  thought,  an  abstract  idea.  Consequently,  these  systems  are  more  or 
less  characterized  by  a  dualistic  separation  of  the  Ideal  and  the  Historical, 
the  Divine  and  the  Human,  the  Christ  of  God  and  the  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 


PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL.      xxxv 

God."  In  the  latter,  the  sphere  of  practical  Christian 
life,  the  one-sided  pursuit  of  knowledge  naturally  resulted 
in  a  neglect  of  the  duties  and  the  spirit  of  Christian  love. 
This  cold  intellectualism  of  the  Gnostic  had  neither  heart 
nor  time  for  the  brethren. 

Now  it  is  evident  that  of  all  the  books  of  the  New 
Testament,  there  is  none  that  could  furnish  such  a  power- 
ful antidote  to  those  erroneous  tendencies  as  the  fourth 
Gospel,  which  presents  the  central  mystery  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  personal  union  of  God  and  man  in  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  in  the  most  realistic  language.  Nowhere  else 
in  Scripture  does  the  bridge  between  heaven  and  earth, 
between  the  Divine  and  the  Human,  between  Spirit  and 
flesh,  stand  out  so  firmly  and  conspicuously  as  in  the 
Gospel  of  John.  Those  who  saw  and  heard  and  touched 
the  man  Jesus,  saw  and  heard  and  touched  eternal  life 
and  light  and  glory, — Divinity  itself.  For  the  very  reason 
that  "  the  flesh  (in  itself)  profiteth  nothing,"  and  because 
all  "  that  is  born  of  flesh  is  flesh,"  the  Eternal  Word 
became  flesh,  and  His  flesh  and  blood  became  meat  and 
drink  unto  eternal  life.  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God  ;  but  the  King  of  this  kingdom, 
the  only-begotten  Son  of  the  Father,  can  become  flesh, 
to  make  us  partakers  of  His  own  life  and  spirit.  Thus 
this  Gospel,  the  most  spiritual  of  all,  is  at  the  same  time 
the  most  material  or  realistic  of  all,  and  the  eye  of  faith 
recognizes  it  and  rejoices  in  it,  knowing  that  what  God 
has  joined  together,  no  man  can  put  asunder ! 

And  yet  admitting  all  this,  and  knowing  from  the 
history  of  the  Church  what  eminent  service  this  Gospel 
did  for  her  in  later  centuries,  at  the  most  critical  times  of 
conflict  with  deadly  enemies ;  believing  even  that,  in  the 
providence  of  God,  it  was  intended  as  the  great  store- 
house and  arsenal  of  the  Church's  heaviest  ordinance  for 


xxxvi  PROLEGOMENA. 

coming  battles,  we  are  not  convinced,  by  all  that  has  been 
written  on  this  subject,^  that  in  the  composition  of  his 
book  the  author  had  special  regard  to  various  particular 
doctrines  of  Gnosticism  or  other  "  isms"  of  his  time  or  of 
coming  times.  The  character  of  the  book  is  too  grand 
and  lofty  for  such  details  of  controversy ;  it  is  pre- 
eminently positive.  Its  only  antithesis  is  the  unbelief  of 
the  world,  which  refuses  to  accept  Jesus  as  the  Christ; 
and  against  this  the  writer  offers  his  testimony  of  Jesus 
the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  so  that,  believing  in  Him, 
men  may  have  everlasting  life.  But  let  us  not  forget 
that  this  fundamental  error,  the  denial  that  Jesus  is  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  is  at  the  bottom  of  all  deviations 
from  the  pure  faith  and  common  to  all.  And  this  is  the 
reason  why  this  fourth  Gospel  deals  such  vigorous  and 
decisive  blows  to  all  forms  of  error,  because  it  always 
strikes  their  very  heart  and  head. 

What,  then,  are  the  principal  positive  features  in  the 
theology  of  the  fourth  Gospel  ?  We  will  let  the  author 
answer  for  himself;  for  there  has  never  been  a  clearer 
and  plainer  statement  of  the  real  design  and  plan  of  a 
book  than  that  presented  in  John  xx.  31  :  "  These  things 
or  these  signs  are  written,  that  ye  may  believe  that  Jesus 
is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  and  that,  believing,  ye  may 
have  life  in  His  name."  There  are  two  things  here:  the 
one,  the  objective,  the  divine  gift,  Jesus  the  Christ  ;  the 
other,  the  subjective,  the  human  acceptance  of  that  divine 
gift,  believing  in  His  name  and  living  thereby.  Exactly 
the  same  two  principles  we  find  in  strikingly  dramatic 
form  presented  in  the  preceding  verses  with  which  the 
Gospel  narrative  proper  is  concluded.    The  last  word  the 

1  Especially  Grau  goes  entirely  too  far  in  his  attempts  to  trace  from 
chapter  to  chapter  the  "  anti-ebiontic"  and  "anti-gnostic"  features  of  the 
Gospel. 


PECULIAR  CHARACTER  OF  THE  FOURTH  GOSPEL,     xxxvii 

apostles  have  to  say  is  the  confession  of  Thomas :  "  My 
Lord  and  my  God  !  "  The  last  word  of  the  Lord,  the 
beatitude  of  the  believer :  "  Blessed  are  they  that  have 
not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed."  In  another  form  yet, 
and  in  the  most  concise  of  all,  these  two  fundamental 
ideas  of  the  Gospel  of  John  are  found  in  the  Lord's 
prayer  of  intercession,  xvii.  23  :  "  I  in  them,  and  Thou  in 
Me."  God  in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  the  believer,  everything 
centering  in  Him.  Whatever  is  taught  concerning  God 
the  Father,  the  Spirit,  the  world,  the  creation,  sin  and 
the  Church,  is  presented  in  the  light  of  Christ's  historic 
manifestation.  It  is  the  absolute  religion,  the  fulfilment 
of  the  Law,  of  Moses  and  the  Prophets(i.  17),  as  well  as 
the  answer  to  the  pagan  inquiry :  "  What  is  truth  ? " 
Let  us  sum  it  up  once  more  : 

The  historical  person  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  one  with 
the  Father  ;  in  this  union  His  whole  human  nature,  even 
His  body  truly  and  everlastingly  participating.  To  this 
God-man  the  believers  united  (by  faith  in  mystic  union) 
as  the  branches  are  to  the  vine,  and  this  union  not  simply 
an  ideal  one  of  thought,  speculation  or  knowledge,  nor  a 
purely  moral  one  of  purpose  and  will,  but  an  essential 
one,  such  as  between  the  Head  and  the  Body  with  its 
members, — such  is  the  Christianity  of  the  fourth  Gospel  ; 
neither  an  abstract  theory  nor  a  certain  way  of  acting, 
but  a  new  life  through  the  God-man,  whose  wonderful 
love  saves  men  from  perishing,  and  whose  Spirit  makes 
them  the  children  of  God.  This  is,  it  cannot  be  denied, 
essentially  a  mystery,  even  as  natural  life  with  its  be- 
ginnings is  everywhere  wrapped  in  mystery.  But  the 
anti-mysterious  is  the  anti-christian.  And  those  specula- 
tive or  rationalistic  views  that  would  turn  Christianity 
either  into  a  philosophical  system  or  into  a  new  code  of 
morals  will  forever  find  their  invincible  opponent  in  this 


xxxviii  PROLEGOMENA. 

Gospel  of  John,  the  Gospel  of  the  union  of  God  and  man 
in  Jesus  Christ. 

Considering  this  doctrinal  character  of  the  fourth  Gos- 
pel, we  may  wonder  that  there  is  no  reference  found  in  it 
to  the  act  of  institution  of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, the  sacraments  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  those  holy- 
mysteries  in  which  the  union  of  the  visible  and  invisible, 
the  spiritual  and  material,  the  heavenly  and  earthly,  is 
forever  represented  and  continued.  But  here  also  John 
is  the  most  fitting  and  beautiful  complement  to  the 
Synoptists.  After  the  latter  have  given  us  the  exact 
circumstances  and  words  of  the  institution  of  those  ordi- 
nances, the  fourth  Gospel,  more  fully  and  clearly  than 
any  other  part  of  Scripture,  reveals  the  great  principle 
that  underlies  those  heavenly  mysteries, — the  union  of 
the  Divine  and  human  in  the  God-man,  and  the  mystic 
union  between  the  believer  and  Christ, — a  union  not  only 
with  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  but  with  His  very  flesh  and 
blood  ;  it  is  accomplished  and  nourished  and  sustained 
by  water  and  blood  ;  for  the  Christ  of  the  fourth  Gospel 
(as  well  as  of  the  First  Epistle  of  John)  comes  not  only 
by  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  but  also  by  water  and  blood 
(i  John  V.  6-8).  He  cannot  be  detached  from  the  reality 
of  His  sacraments. 

III.    THE   QUESTION   OF   AUTHORSHIP. 

I.  Negative  Criticism. — There  was,  in  the  second  cent- 
ury of  the  Christian  era,  an  insignificant  sect,  called 
Alogi,  who  rejected  the  doctrine  of  the  Logos  and  of  the 
Paraclete  (Comforter),  as  contained  in  this  Gospel,  and 
attributed  the  Gospel  to  John's  enemy,  Cerinthus.  But 
by  their  indirect  testimony  to  the  early  date  of  its  com- 
position, they  support  rather  than  weaken  the  authorship 


THE  QUESTION  OF  AUTHORSHIP.  xxxix 

of  John.^  Since,  then,  there  was  essentially  peace  on 
this  question  down  to  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
when  an  Englishman,  Edward  Evanson,  in  1792,  attacked 
the  apostolic  origin  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  and  ascribed  it 
to  a  Platonic  philosopher  of  the  second  century.  Of  a 
much  more  serious  character  were  the  objections  raised 
twenty-two  years  afterwards  by  a  German  rationalist, 
Bretschneider,  who,  however,  had  the  good  sense  to  write 
his  book  in  the  Latin  language  for  scholars  only,  and 
who  formally  withdrew  his  opposition  a  few  years  after- 
wards, saying  that  his  object  had  been  attained  by  calling 
forth  more  satisfactory  proofs  of  the  apostolic  origin  of 
this  Gospel  than  had  before  been  offered. 

But  the  most  powerful  assaults  were  made  against  the 
authorship  of  John  toward  the  middle  of  this  century, 
when  the  speculative  philosophy  of  Hegel  had  turned  the 
heads  of  many  learned  theologians,  especially  in  Ger- 
many, resurrecting  in  this  nineteenth  century  the  funda- 
mental views  of  ancient  Gnosticism,  and  particularly  the 
principle  that  the  "  Jesus  of  history  and  the  Christ  of 
faith  "  are  not  and  cannot  be  identical.  Now.  this  is  the 
very  position  which  in  the  Gospel  and  the  Epistles  of 
John  is  characterized  as  "  anti-christian."  We  cannot, 
therefore,  be  in  the  least  surprised  to  see  that  the  fourth 
Gospel  has  become  the  main  object  of  the  most  deter- 
mined and  cunning  attacks  on  the  part  of  modern  specu- 
lation.2 

We  can  readily  see  that  the  opposition  to  John,  as  the 
author  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  is  a  life  question  for  modern 

^  See  Dr.  Fisher's  Remarks  on  the  Alogi  in  "  Papers  of  the  .American 
Society  of  Church  History,"  Vol.  II.  i. 

2  Moses  in  the  beginning,  Isaiah  in  the  middle,  and  John  at  the  end  of 
the  1600  years  of  Bible  literature  are  naturally  the  principal  points  on  which 
the  enemies  of  revelation  concentrate  their  forces. 


xl  PROLEGOMENA. 

negative,  theology  which  denies  that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of 
God  in  the  sense  in  which  the  Church  maintains  this 
confession  ;  that  is,  in  the  sense  of  the  Gospel  of  John. 
The  acceptance  of  the  testimony  of  John,  the  son  of 
Zebedee,  the  disciple  whom  the  Lord  loved,  involves  for 
a  candid  mind,  in  principle,  the  acceptance  of  Christ,  the 
God-man,  the  incarnate  Word,  the  Lord  of  glory.  But 
very  few  are  honest  enough  to  confess  that  its  antagonism 
to  their  philosophical  standpoint  is  the  first  and  principal 
cause  of  their  opposition  to  this  Gospel,  while  the  "  in- 
terests of  unprejudiced  science "  and  "  historical  criti- 
cism," of  which  we  hear  so  much,  are  in  reality  a  sec- 
ondary consideration.  The  most  systematic  and  learned 
effort  to  destroy  the  historical  and  canonical  character 
of  the  fourth  Gospel  was  made  by  Professor  Baur  in 
Tubingen  (1844).  He  labored  to  prove  that  it  was  the 
most  ingeniously  planned  and  most  successfully  executed 
work  of  some  "  great  unknown  "  ^  writer  of  the  second 
half  of  the  second  century,  designed  to  end  the  contests 
between  Jewish  and  Gentile  Christianity  and  to  settle  the 
controversies  that  had  arisen  in  those  days  through  dif- 
ferent sectarian  tendencies  in  the  interest  of  one  catholic 
church.  According  to  this,  the  book  would  be  all  theory, 
theology,  and  partisan  theology  at  that,  while  its  artfully 
constructed  historical  form  would  be  nothing  but  a  sham. 
The  followers  and  pupils  of  Professor  Baur,  though  at 
first,  as  it  seemed,  zealously  engaged  to  support  and 
magnify  their  master's  work,  soon  began  to  undermine  it 
by  new  and  conflicting  theorieSj  and  ere  long  their  own 
testimony  had  carried  the  date  of  the  book  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  second  century  ;  that  is,   close  to  the 

1  Greater  not  only  than  the  Epigones  and  literary  pigmies  of  the  second 
century  whose  names  have  all  been  preserved,  but  greater  even  than  the 
Synoptists  themselves  !     What  a  cruel  freak  of  history  ! 


THE  QUESTION  OF  AUTHORSHIP.  xli 

time  of  John's  death.  Unanimous  only  in  the  denial  of 
the  apostoHc  origin  of  the  book,  the  members  of  this 
school  vigorously  demolished  each  other  by  their  conflict- 
ing theories.^  But  all  these  attacks  have,  in  the  end, 
been  of  great  service  to  the  Church.  This  negative 
criticism  has  compelled  the  positive  theologians  of  all 
creeds  and  nationalities  to  enter  more  fully  than  ever 
upon  the  investigation  of  this  whole  field,  and  the  mature 
results  they  have  obtained  have  established  the  fact,  that 
"  in  order  to  combat  with  any  show  of  success  the  au- 
thenticity of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  the  whole  history 
of  the  Church  and  its  literature  during  the  first  two 
centuries  must  be  turned  upside  down  and  demolished  " 
(Eb-RARD).  For  one  thing  particularly  we  have  reason 
to  be  thankful  to  our  negative  critics.  They  have,  with 
consummate  skill  and  acumen,  proved  the  organic  unity 
of  the  fourth  Gospel,  and  while  in  other  fields  of  biblical 
criticism  2  the  tendency  has  been  to  pick  to  pieces  the 
books  in  question,  and  to  show  that  they  were  composed 
on  the  principle  of  the  "  crazy  quilt,"  they  all  agree  that 
John's  Gospel  is  one  indivisible  unit,  "  the  seamless  gar- 
ment which  cannot  be  rent  "  (D.  Fr.  Strauss). 

2.  TJie  Testimony  of  tJie  Ancient  CJuircli. — A  few  facts 
only  under  this  head  in  the  briefest  summary.  It  is  a  fact 
that  cannot  be  gainsaid  that  the  fourth  Gospel  never 
appeared  in  the  primitive  Church  under  any  other  name 
but  that  of  John.  Through  three  centuries,  beginning  in 
the  fourth  after  Christ,  we  can  trace  the  testimonies  of 
the  fathers  back  to  the  very  threshold  of  the  Apostolic 
Era.     Ensebius  (A.  D.  324),  who  certainly  had  the  most 

1  The  revolting  absurdity  of  these  different  attempts  cidminates  in  that 
blasphemous  book  of  Noack,  which  undertook  to  prove  that  Judas  was  the 
disciple  whom  the  Lord  loved  and  the  writer  of  this  Gospel ! 

'^  Pentateuch,  Isaiah,  Synoptists. 


xlii  PROLEGOMENA. 

comprehensive  knowledge  of  the  past  history  of  the 
Church,  as  well  as  of  its  literature  and  tradition,  mentions 
the  fourth  Gospel  as  one  of  the  uncontradicted  writings 
of  the  Apostle  John,  "  unanimously  acknowledged  by  all 
churches  under  heaven."  Origen  (185-254),  the  Alexan- 
drine, the  foremost  scholar  before  Eusebius  and  the  most 
critical  mind  of  the  patristic  period,  praises  the  fourth  as 
tJie  choice  Gospel.  Tertullian  (160-220),  the  great  repre- 
sentative of  the  African  Church,  who  shows  a  deep  insight 
into  the  whole  organism  of  the  Canon  of  sacred  literature, 
has  numerous  quotations  from  John.^  The  Canon  of 
Muratori  (c.  170  A.  D.)  gives  us  the  testimony  of  the 
Church  of  Italy.  It  has  the  fourth  Gospel,  and  ascribes 
it  to  John,  "  one  of  the  disciples."  In  the  Syriac  version 
of  the  Bible,  called  PeshittJio  (c.  170),  the  Church  of  Syria 
joins  her  testimony  to  that  of  the  other  lands.  Irencens 
(c.  130-202),  uniting  the  testimony  of  Asia  Minor  and  of 
the  Gallic  Church,  is  one  of  the  principal  witnesses,  being 
the  disciple  of  Polycarp  (died  167,  having  been  a  Christian 
for  eighty-six  years),  who  told  him  of  his  intercourse  with 
the  Apostle  John.  Now,  Irenaeus  gives  it  as  a  generally 
acknowledged,  undisputed  fact  that  John,  the  disciple 
who  was  on  the  bosom  of  the  Lord,  wrote  his  Gospel  at 
Ephesus.  Justin,  the  Martyr  (100-166),  the  first  Gentile 
scholar  and  philosopher  within  the  Christian  Church  ;  who 
attempts  to  unite  Christian  thought  with  speculative 
elements  foreign  to  Christianity,  and  has  a  peculiarly  de- 
veloped doctrine  of  the  Logos,  which  is  used  by  modern 
negative  critics  to  prove  his  priority  to  John's  Gospel, 
has  been  shown  by  the  most  recent  and  thorough  inves- 
tigations of  Zahn  to  contain  a  number  of  unmistakable 

1  Clement  of  Alexandria,  his  contemporary,  a  very  learned  father,  to  whom 
we  owe  important  statements  concerning  John's  life  in  Asia  Minor,  speaks 
of  John's  Gospel  as  the  last,  and  the  spiritual  Gospel  over  against  the  Sy- 
noptists. 


THE  QUESTION  OF  AUTHORSHIP.  xliii 

references  to  prominent  passages  in  St.  John.  The 
Epistles  of  Ignatius  {vloX.  later  than  no  A.  D.)  and  the 
Epistle  of  Barnabas  (of  the  last  decade  of  the  first  cen- 
tury) show  traces  of  acquaintance  with  the  Gospel  of 
John.  The  recently  discovered  "  Doetrine  of  the  T%velve  " 
(c.  90)  reveals  in  the  prayers  of  the  Eucharist  remarkable 
reminiscences  of  John  xv.  and  xvii. 

3.  T/ie  Testimony  of  the  Enemies  in  the  Second  Cen- 
tury.— In  addition  to  this  testimony  of  friends,  we  also 
point  to  that  of  the  enemies  of  Christianity  in  the  second 
century.  The  first  polemic  treatise  written  against  Chris- 
tianity was  the  "True  Logos"  (161-180)  of  Celstis,  who 
had  evidently  made  a  thorough  study  of  his  subject,  going 
back  to  the  first  sources  everywhere.  His  references  are 
more  frequently  to  Matthew;  but  he  uses  John  more  than 
either  Mark  or  Luke,  and  the  Christ  whom  he  combats  is 
mainly  the  Christ  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  proving  beyond 
dispute  that  even  before  the  time  of  Celsus  this  Gospel 
was  known  and  recognized  by  friend  and  foe  as  an  author- 
itative record  of  Christianity.  But  the  most  remarkable 
testimony  lies  in  the  fact  that  not  one  of  the  ancient 
Gnostics  ventured  to  deny  that  the  fourth  Gospel  was 
written  by  St.  John,  though  such  a  statement  would  have 
been  the  strongest  testimony  in  their  hands.  Foremost 
among  them  stands  Marcion,  who  came  to  Rome  about 
140  A.  D.,  after  having  been  at  work  for  some  time  in 
Asia  Minor.  He  was  the  most  radical  and  consistent 
enemy  of  the  Church,  being  convinced  that  it  had  degen- 
erated under  Judaizing  influences,  and  resolved  to  form  a 
new  church  on  the  ruins  of  the  old.  For  this  purpose  he 
needed  a  new  canon  reconstructed  on  the  idea  that  Paul 
was  the  one  great  authority  over  against  the  other 
apostles.  His  antagonism  against  the  Gospel  of  John  is 
undeniable,  and  the  attempts  made  by  our  modern  critics 
to  represent  John  in  essential  harmony  with  the  ancient 


xliv  PROLEGOMENA. 

head  of  Gnosticism  is  a  poor  makeshift,  the  hollowness  of 
which  has  been  fully  proved  by  the  recent  investigations 
of  Luthardt,  and  particularly  Zahn. 

4.  TJic  Testimony  of  the  Gospel  itself  on  the  Question  of 
Authorship. — The  last  word  we  properly  give  to  the 
Gospel  itself.  What  does  it  say  directly  or  indirectly  on 
this  point  ?  The  answer  has  really  been  given  in  the 
statements  made  on  the  relation  of  the  fourth  Gospel  to 
the  Synoptists,  on  the  language  and  the  historical  features 
of  the  Gospel.  Here  it  will  be  sufificient  to  recall  the 
principal  points,  and  sum  them  up  briefly.  The  language 
of  the  book  strongly  indicates  a  Hebrew  writer  who  con- 
tinued to  think  in  the  language  of  his  native  country, 
though  he  wrote  in  Greek.  The  author  is  perfectly  at 
home  in  the  ways  and  manners  of  Jezvish  life  and  belief, 
and  thoroughly  rooted  in  the  Old  Testament  revelation, 
which  influences  even  his  language,  and  suggests  to  him 
figures  of  speech  altogether  foreign  to  profane  Greek. 
Of  Old  Testament  books,  the  Pentateuch,  the  Psalms, 
the  prophets,  but  particularly  Isaiah,  appear  to  be  most 
familiar  to  the  author  (the  last  was  also  the  favorite  book 
of  John  the  Baptist,  the  first  teacher  of  John,  the  son  of 
Zebedee).  On  Old  Testament  ground,  not  on  Hellenic  or 
Hellenistic,  did  this  Gospel  grow.  The  author  knew  the 
Old  Testament  in  the  original,  not  from  the  LXX.  trans- 
lation only.  And  as  the  Jews  of  the  Diaspora  in  those 
days,  as  a  rule,  knew  little  Hebrew,  this  knowledge  of  the 
Old  Testament  language  points  to  Palestine  as  the  home 
of  the  writer.  This  is  further  demonstrated  by  his  mani- 
fest familiarity  with  the  different  localities  of  Palestine, 
the  scenes  around  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  the  valley  of 
Sychar,  Jerusalem  and  its  neighborhood  he  introduces  in 
the  narrative  as  only  one  well  acquainted  with  all  those 
places  could  do.  It  is  an  eye-witness  who  wrote  this 
Gospel,  manifesting  from  first  to  last  the  deepest  personal 


THE   QUESTION  OF  AUTHORSHIP.  xlv 

interest  in  what  he  narrates.  This  is  proven  also  by  the 
great  number  of  exact  cJironological  data  and  the  many 
incidental  little  touches  which  give  to  the  whole  account 
of  this  Gospel  such  a  remarkable  picturesqueness  and 
realism.  Moreover,  this  eye-witness  was  one  who  moved 
in  the  circle  of  the  Twelve,  showing  more  familiarity  with 
the  conversations,*  and  the  intimate  relation  between  the 
Lord  and  each  member  of  this  circle  than  any  of  the 
Synoptists.^ 

Finally,  we  make  bold  to  say  that  the  Gospel  itself  in- 
dicates one  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  John,  as  its  author. 
The  Synoptists  tell  us  that  James  and  John  belonged  to 
the  inner  circle  of  three  who  had  special  privileges  in  their 
intercourse  with  the  Lord,  and  yet,  in  the  fourth  Gospel, 
those  two  and  the  other  members  of  their  family  are 
never  mentioned  by  name.  This  silence  is  certainly  not 
due  to  an  attempt  to  slight  John  or  his  family,  but  it  is 
an  indication  of  the  modest  reserve  in  which  the  writer 
kept  himself,  and  from  which  he  emerges  only  in  the 
twenty-first  chapter  as  the  disciple  whom  the  Lord  loved, 
and  whom  the  closing  words  of  that  chapter,  added  by 
another  hand,  designate  as  the  author. 

In  addition  to  all  this  testimony,  let  us  remember  the 
manifest  differences  which  have  been  pointed  out,  in  the 
preceding  pages,  between  the  fourth  Gospel  and  the 
Synoptic  account,  and  to  which  we  refer  in  this  con- 
nection as  one  of  the  strongest  evidences  of  the  author- 
ship of  John.  There  is  no  rule  of  logic  in  the  world  that 
would  compel  us  to  believe  that  any  record  which  adds 
certain  essential  features  to  another  and  previous  account 
of  the  same  history  should  in  itself  not  be  entitled  to  be 
credited.     Why  cannot  both  be  true  ?     Why  cannot  one 


1  i.  38-50;  iv.  31-38;  vi.  5-9,  70.:  ix.  2;  xi.  16;  xii.  21  ;  xiii.  6-9,  23-25, 
27,  30 ;  xiv.  5,  8,  22;  xvi.  17  f.,  29  f. ;  xviii.  16;  xx.  2,  3,  28. 


xlvi  PROLEGOMENA. 

witness  or  reporter  notice  and  make  prominent  a  feature 
which  was  not  noticed  or  not  marked  in  its  full  import  by 
other  witnesses  or  reporters?  But  more  than  that.  In 
this  case  the  very  difference  becomes  an  essential  evidence 
of  the  originality  and  apostolic  authority  of  the  record, 
which,  with  all  its  palpable  deviations  from  the  earlier 
Synoptical  accounts,  quietly  takes  its  place  by  their  side, 
claiming,  as  a  matter  of  course,  fully  the  same  authority 
and  credence  with  the  others.  Who  but  an  apostle,  and, 
if  an  apostle,  who  but  the  last  surviving  apostle,  dared  to 
set  before  the  Church  a  record  of  the  life  of  Christ  so 
evidently  at  variance  with  the  acknowledged  gospel  tradi- 
tion of  the  Synoptists,  which  had  taken  such  firm  root 
throughout  the  Church  ?  Would  not  an  impostor,  anxious 
to  secure  recognition  for  his  new  and  original  presentation 
of  the  life  of  Christ,  have  been  very  careful  to  preserve 
intact  the  whole  historical  frame  of  the  Synoptists  and 
to  make  the  Lord  Jesus  speak  as  nearly  as  possible  in  the 
same  style  as  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the  Parables  ? 
How  could  such  a  writer,  nearly  a  hundred  years  after 
the  death  of  the  last  apostle,  ever  expect  to  find  accept- 
ance, instead  of  meeting  with  decided  protest  and  being 
at  once  charged  with  intentional  deception  ?  But  the 
writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel  is  utterly  unconcerned  about 
any  such  possibility.  There  is  a  grand  indifference  to  it 
on  every  page  of  his  book.  He  writes  as  one  "  having  au- 
thority," being  complete  master  of  his  subject,  and  ready 
to  face  the  whole  account  of  the  Synoptists  and  the  whole 
tradition  of  the  Church  concerning  the  life  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

And  thus  this  Gospel  stands  to-day,  ready  to  face 
modern  scientism,  unshaken  by  its  fierce  attacks,  the  joy 
and  the  very  jewel  of  Apostolic  literature  for  all  those 
who  truly  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  and  believing  this  have  life  in  His  name. 


EXPOSITION 


GOSPEL  ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN 


ADOLPH  SPAETH,  D.D. 

Professor  in  the  Ltitkeratt   Theological  Seminary,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


THE  EXPOSITION  OF  THE  GOSPEL 
ACCORDING  TO  ST.  JOHN. 


FIRST  PART.— CHAPTERS  I.— IV. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  FAITH  IN  THE  INCARNATE  WORD, 

AS  the' ABSOLUTE  REVELATION  OF  GOD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

L  The    Opening     Section,    I.    1-18     ("The     Pro- 
logue"). 

I.  Beginning  and  Theme  of  the  Gospel. 

This  opening  or  introductory  passage  is  generally  called 
the  "  Prologue,"  which,  in  the  common  understanding, 
means  a  sort  of  theological  preface,  wherein  the  writer  is 
said  to  have  set  forth  in  an  abstract,  didactic  form  the 
fundamental  ideas,  by  which  he  was  guided  in  the  pres- 
entation of  his  gospel.  This  view,  which  may  suit  well 
enough  for  the  philosophical  preface  of  a  modern  his- 
torical treatise,  is  altogether  contrary  to  the  spirit  and 
conception  of  this  fourth  Gospel.  It  is,  from  .the  first 
word  to  the  last,  a  history,  a  simple  array  of  facts,  told 
in  the  plainest  manner  by  one  who  is  called  to  witness 
these  facts.  The  God-man  is  the  subject  of  this  Gospel. 
His   history   is   to   be   presented.     Accordingly  the  very 


2  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  i. 

first  verse  contains  a  statement  of  facts  concerning  the 
beginnings  of  this  God-man,  in  the  fullest  and  most  ex- 
haustive sense  of  the  word.  Far  beyond  the  beginnings 
of  Mark,  Matthew  and  Luke — yea,  back  of  the  begin- 
ning of  Genesis  itself,  into  eternity  we  are  carried  by  the 
opening  words  of  John.  He  starts  at  the  very  gates  of 
eternity  and  at  once  presents  the  theme  of  his  Gospel  in 
its  full  extent :  TJie  incarnate  Word  \_Logos\  the  absolute 
revelation  of  God ;  on  the  one  side  the  faith  that  receives 
Him,  and  on  the  other  side  the  unbelief  that  rejects  Him. 
The  three  principal  parts  of  the  Gospel  are  as  follows  : 
I.  The  beginnings  of  faith,  that  receives  Him,  ch.  i.- 
iv. ;  2.  The  hostility  of  unbelief,  that  rejects  Him,  ch. 
v.-xii.  ;  3.  The  triumph  of  faith ;  the  glorified  Word 
among  His  own,  ch.  xiii.-xxi. 

2.    TJie   Word  ("  Logos  "). 

Not  before  the  17th  verse  is  the  historic  name  of  Jesus 
Christ  introduced  in  this  Gospel.  In  the  beginning  of 
the  Prologue  a  peculiar  name  is  used  to  designate  Him. 
He  is  called  "  the  Word "  (Logos),  John  alone  uses 
this  term  in  speaking  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the 
Father;  and  he  uses  it  only  in  the  Prologue,  not  in  the 
other  parts  of  the  Gospel  ;  in  the  first  verse  of  the  first 
epistle  I  John  i.  i,  "the  Word  of  Life,"  and  in  the 
Book  of  Revelation  xix.  13,  his  name  is  called  "  the 
Word  of  God."  We  have  the  impression  that  this  term 
"the  Word,"  as  used  of  the  , Son  of  God,  was  at  once 
understood  by  the  readers  of  the  Gospel,  as  it  was  by  the 
readers  of  the  Epistle  and  of  the  Revelation.  It  is  clearly 
used  in  a  personal  sense.  It  is  not  the  impersonal  word 
of  God,  the  means  of  grace,  which  is  being  preached  in 
the  Law  and  the  Gospel.  ,  This  personal  use  of  the  term 


I.  I.]  CHAPTER  I.  3 

appears  much  more  strange  and  uncommon  to  us  than  to 
the  Greek  readers,  because  the  Greek  word  Logos  is  a 
mascuHne  form.  A  great  deal  of  learning  has  been  ex- 
pended by  many  writers  in  following  up  this  term 
"  Logos  "  through  divers  Jewish  and  pagan  systems  of 
philosophy  and  religious  speculation.  The  names  and 
writings  of  the  great  Greek  philosopher  Plato,  and  the 
Alexandrian  Jew,  Philo,  are  prominently  brought  forward 
in  this  connection,  as  if  the  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel 
had  been  a  pupil  of  Plato  or  Philo,  receiving  from  them 
this  peculiar  term  "  Logos,"  to  transplant  it  into  the 
sphere  of  Christianity  and  to  dress  it  up  in  a  Christian 
garb  ! 

But  John  uses  the  term  "  Logos"  quite  independently 
of  Greek  or  Alexandrine  scholars  and  their  systems.  He 
tells  us  himself  in  his  prologue  most  plainly  and  directly 
what  the  name  "  Logos  "  means  to  him.  We  take  the 
last  verse  of  the  Prologue  (i.  i8)  and  compare  it  with  the 
first  and  with  all  the  others  in  which  the  term  "  Logos 
is  used.  There  he  says:  "  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any 
time  ;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  he  \i^\.\v  declared  liiin.''  He  has  become  the 
exegete,  the  interpreter,  of  the  Father.  He  reveals 
Him  in  such  a  manner  as  He  has  never  before  been 
revealed.  "  God,  having  of  old  time  spoken  unto  the 
fathers  in  the  prophets  by  divers  portions  and  in  divers 
manners,  hath  at  the  end  of  these  days  spoken  unto  us  in 
his  Son  "  (Hebr.  i.  i).  Even  among  men  it  is  true,  or 
it  ought  to  be  true,  that  the  "  word  "  is  to  be  the  full, 
adequate,  honest  representation  of  the  "  man."  "  Ein 
Mann  ein  Wort,"  says  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
significant  German  proverbs.  The  Word  reveals  and 
communicates  to  the  outside  world  His  innermost  nature, 
His  thoughts,  feelings  and   volitions.     The    "  Word  "    is 


4  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  1-3. 

therefore  the  most  comprehensive  and  appropriate  title 
for  Him,  in  whom  the  final,  essential  and  absolute  reve- 
lation of  the  Father  appeared  in  person.  The  "  Logos  " 
speaks  out  to  the  world  whatever  is  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  He  manifests  His  name  to  the  men  whom  He 
gave  Him  out  of  the  world.  The  words  which  the 
Father  gave  Him  He  hath  given  unto  them.  And  the 
glory  which  the  Father  hath  given  Him,  He  hath  given 
unto  them  (John  xvii.  6,  8,  22).  In  His  person  we  have 
the  absolute,  complete  mediation  and  communication 
between  the  Father  and  the  world.  If  anyone  ask  Him, 
as  Philip  did:  "Shew  us  the  Father,"  he  will  receive 
from  the  Logos  that  same  old  answer :  "  He  that  hath 
seen  me,  hath  seen  the  Father." 

3.    TJie  Eternal  and  Creative  Word  (i.  1-3). 

1-3.  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God,  and 
the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was  in  the  beginning  with  God.  All 
things  were  made  by  him ;  and  without  him  was  not  anything  made  that 
hath  been  made. 

Of  this  Logos  John  says:  " /«  tJie  beginning  zvas  tJie 
Word,''  etc.  (Ver.  i  and  2).  It  existed,  or,  speaking  of 
the  personal  Logos,  He  had  His  being  before  anything 
had  a  beginning.  He  ivas — before  time,  before  creation 
— He  never  was  made,  as  all  things  were  made  ;  He 
simply  ivas  with  God  in  close,  loving  communion  with 
Him,  co-equal,  co-eternal  with  Him,  Himself  God.  This 
uncreated  Logos  is  Himself  active  in  the  creation.  All 
things  are  made  through  Him.  'Creation  itself  is  part  of 
God's  manifestation  or  revelation.  In  so  far  it  comes 
into  the  sphere  of  the  Logos.  Without  Him,  the  cxcgcte, 
or  interpreter,  creation  would  not  tell  us  anything  of  God, 
His    nature    and    His    thoughts.     All  the  grandeur  and 


I.  4-9.]  CHAPTER  I.  5 

beauty  of  nature  would  stare  at  us  dumb  and  meaning- 
less if  the  Logos  had  not  given  speech  to  it,  and  chosen 
it  as  an  organ  of  revelation.  From  Him  it  is  that  "the 
heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God  and  the  firmament 
showeth  His  handiwork;"  that  "day  unto  day  uttcreth 
speech,  and  night  unto  night  showeth  knowledge  ;  "  from 
Him  it  is  that  "  the  invisible  things  of  God,  since  the 
creation  of  the  world,  are  clearly  seen,  being  perceived 
through  the  things  that  are  made,  even  His  everlasting 
power  and  divinity  "  (Rom.  i.  20). 

4.    Tlic    Word  of  Salvation  (i.  4-9). 

4-g.  In  him  was  life;  and  the  life  was  the  light  of  men.  And  the 
light  shineth  in  the  darkness  j  and  the  darkness  apprehended  it  not.  There 
came  a  man,  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John.  The  same  came  for 
witness,  that  he  might  bear  witness  of  the  light,  that  all  might  believe 
through  him.  He  was  not  the  light,  but  catne  that  he  might  bear  witness 
of  the  light.  There  was  the  true  light,  even  the  light  which  lighteth  every 
man,  coming  into  the  world. 

The  Logos  as  the  absolute  revelation  of  God,  does  not 
simply  reveal  and  communicate  certain  abstract  kiioivL 
edge.  He  is  Life  and  Light,  health  and  salvation  in  the 
midst  of  darkness.  The  Evangelist  does  not  stop  to 
answer  the  question.  Whence  the  darkness  ?  How  did  it 
enter  this  creation  of  the  Logos,  full  of  His  life  and  His 
light  ?  He  simply  states  the  fact  that  the  light  of  the 
Logos  is  shining  in  the  darkness.  From  the  threshold  of 
Paradise,  lost  ever  since  the  fall  of  man,  this  light  shineth 
in  the  darkness.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  in  the  men  of  God, 
that  prophesied  of  the  grace  that  should  come  (i  Pet.  i. 
10,  11),  testified  beforehand  of  Christ.  This  testimony, 
coming  from  the  Logos,  extending  through  the  whole 
Old  Testament,  and  preparing  the  way  for  the  personal 
appearance  of  the  Logos  in  the  flesh,  culminated  in  the 


6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  10-13. 

"man,  sent  from  God,  whose  name  was  John,  who  came 
to  bear  witness  of  the  Light."  For  this  true  Hght  was  on 
its  way,  coming  into  the  world.  How  will  it  be  received  ? 
It  is  coming,  the  way  is  well  prepared  for  it  by  ample 
testimony.  What  kind  of  a  welcome  will  the  world  give 
to  it  ? 

5.    The  Word  Rejected  by  the  World  (i.  10,  11). 

lo-ii.  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  him,  and  the 
world  knew  him  not.  He  came  unto  his  own,  and  they  that  were  his  own 
received  him  not. 

Mark  here  the  expression  of  sadness,  the  tragic  char- 
acter, which  is  one  of  the  peculiar  and  prominent  features 
of  the  fourth  Gospel.  Over  against  the  flood  of  light  and 
life  and  glory,  offered  to  the  world  in  the  coming  of  the 
Logos,  there  is  a  complete  indifference  to  Him  on  the 
part  of  the  world.  He  was  in  the  world,  and  the  world 
was  made  by  Him  and  the  world  knew  Him  not.  He 
came  unto  His  own,  and  they  that  were  His  own  received 
Him  not.  Observe  the  climax  in  these  two  verses.  It 
IS  bad  enough  that  the  world,  which  was  made  by  Him, 
should  not  knozv  Him.  But  it  is  much  worse  that  His 
own — Israel,  the  members  of  the  Old  Testament  Theoc- 
racy, the  chosen  people  of  God — should  not  rceeive  Him. 
If  the  former  is  a  lack  of  knowledge  and  recognition,  the 
latter  is  a  determined  opposition,  an  unwillingness  to 
give  Him  the  place  that  properly  belonged  to  Him,  to 
submit  to  Him  with  grateful  and  believing  hearts. 

6.    Tlic   Word  Received  by  the  Children  of  God  {\.  12-13). 

12-13.  But  as  many  as  received  him,  to  them  gave  he  the  right  to  be- 
come children  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  his  name  :  which  were 
born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but 
of  God. 

But  after  all,  in  spite  of  the  enmity  and  indifference  of 


I.  12,  13.]  CHAPTER  I.  7 

the  world,  the  old  prophecy  (Isaiah  Iv.  10,  ii)  shall  be 
fulfilled  :  "The  word  that  goeth  forth  out  of  my  mouth 
shall  not  return  unto  me  void,  but  it  shall  accomplish 
that  which  I  please,  and  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing 
whereto  I  send  it."  The  Logos  revelation  is  not  alto- 
gether lost  on  the  world.  Not  in  vain  has  He  been 
active  from  the  beginning  in  the  creation  of  the  world. 
Not  in  vain  has  His  testimony  gone  forth,  shining  through 
the  darkness  with  light  from  above.  There  are  in  this 
world  not  only  creatures  of  God,  ignoring  and  rejecting 
the  Logos  ;  there  are  also  cJiildren  of  God.  receiving  Him 
and  believing  on  His  name.  Though  "  His  own,"  as  a 
whole,  reject  Him,  there  are  ///^/77V///(7/y  (oVoi),  exceptions 
from  the  majority,  counted  by  God  and  known  to  Him, 
however  few  or  many,  that  receive  Him.  But  to  receive 
Him  is  to  believe  on  His  uauie.  Here  we  meet  for  the 
first  time  this  word,  which  is  more  frequent  in  the  Gospel 
of  John  than  in  any  of  the  Synoptists.  It  describes  the 
proper  attitude  of  men  towards  the  light  which  appears 
in  the  Logos;  not,  however,  as  a  work  of  man,  of  human 
strength,  but  simply  as  the  receiving  of  what  God  works 
in  man.  It  is  believing  on  His  navie.  He  must  be 
named  and  known  in  order  to  be  believed  in.  (The  words 
"  name  "  and  to  "  know  "  spring  from  the  same  root  in 
the  language  of  the  New  Testament.)  There  must  be  a 
making  known,  a  revealing  of  His  nature  and  character, 
giving  light  and  knowledge  concerning  God  and  world  and 
self.  There  is  no  faith  without  this  knowledge,  although 
this  knowledge  is  not  yet  full,  true,  saving  faith.  Such 
faith  is  only  where  the  heart  accepts  Him  with  the  blessed 
assurance  :  Thou  art  mine  !  The  fruit  of  such  faith  is 
the  new  creature.  It  may  be  of  interest  at  this  point  to 
compare  the  different  aspects  under  which  the  term  "  chil- 
dren of  God  "  is  presented  by  different  writersof  the  New 


8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  12-14. 

Testament.  In  the  Synoptical  Gospels  (particularly  in 
the  sermon  on  the  mount)  the  term  designates  the  moral 
character  of  the  Christian,  being  likeminded  with  God, 
Matt.  V.  9  (the  peacemakers)  ;  v.  16,  by  the  good  works 
of  the  children,  the  Father  in  heaven  is  to  be  glorified  (v. 
45,  48) ;  love  to  the  enemies  and  moral  perfection  are 
to  be  the  characteristic  features  of  sons  of  God.^  With 
St.  Paul  the  state  of  adoption  is  contrasted  with  the  state 
of  bondage,  it  is  the  freedom  of  the  Gospel  over  against 
the  servitude  of  the  Law.  (Rom.  viii.  14,  15,  ye  have  not 
received  the  spirit  of  .bondage  again  to  fear;  but  ye  have 
received  the  spirit  of  adoption,  whereby  we  cry,  Abba 
Father.)  With  John  the  term  "  children  of  God  "  em- 
bodies the  idea  of  being  of  the  same  nature  with  God — 
spiritual,  begotten  of  God,  born  of  the  Spirit  over  against 
the  natural  birth  of  the  flesh  and  that  awful  condition  of 
being  the  children  of  the  devil,  as  the  Lord  charged  His 
stubborn,  hardened  adversaries:  "Ye  are  not  of  God,  ye 
are  of  your  father,  the  devil,  and  the  lusts  of  your  father 
it  is  your  will  to  do  "  (John  viii.  44,  47). 

7.    TJic   Word  Incarnate  (i.  14). 

14.  And  the  Word  became  flesh,  and  dwelt  among  us  (and  we  beheld 
his  glory,  glory  as  of  the  only  begotten  from  the  Father),  full  of  grace  and 
truth. 

This  verse  at  last  announces  the  cardinal  fact  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  incarnation  of  the  eternal  Logos,  in  the  same 
direct  manner,  which  characterized  the  preceding  state- 
ments concerning  the  Logos.-  The  three  words  of  the 
original  introduce  a  simple  historical  fact ;  but  it  is  the 
central  fact  in  the  history  of  mankind  and  in  the  history 
of  God's  kingdom,  an  everlasting  offence  to   Jews  and 

^  Cf.  also  Luke  vi.  36  :  "  Be  ye  merciful,  even  as  your  Father  in  heaven 
is  merciful." 


I.  14-]  CHAPTER  I.  9 

Gentiles,  Rationalists  and  Pantheists.  In  its  innermost 
nature  it  will  always  remain  a  mystery,  an  unfathomable 
wonder  of  divine  love.  To  appreciate  it  we  must  not 
forget  what  had  been  said  from  the  first  verse  concerning 
the  Logos  ;  nor  what  has  been  said,  in  the  immediately 
preceding  verses,  concerning  the  flesh.  What  a  contrast ! 
But  now  the  bold  combination  of  the  two — the  Word 
and  the  flesh.  The  Word  was  in  the  beginning  and  never 
ceased  to  be  what  it  had  been  from  eternity.  But  now  it 
became  what  it  had  not  been  before — it  was  made  flesh. 
The  term  is  stronger  even  than  the  well-known  :  "  God 
manifested  in  the  flesh"  (i  Tim.  iii.  1 6),  or  the  expression 
used  by  i  John  iv.  2  :  "  He  came  in  the  flesh."  It  is  the 
fullest  real  communion  of  the  Logos  with  us,  which  is 
emphasized  by  this  expression.  There  is  no  change  in 
the  nature  of  the  Logos  Himself,  but  only  in  His  mode 
of  existence.  The  glory  which  belongs  to  the  Logos 
from  eternity  is  not  lost  through  His  incarnation.  The 
divine  nature,  with  its  inherent  glory,  and  the  human 
nature,  with  its  inherent  weakness,  are  now  inseparably 
united  in  the  one  person  of  the  incarnate  Logos,  the 
God-man,  of  whom  we  say  correctly  :  This  man  is  God, 
and  God  is  this  man.  Henceforth  we  cannot  and  dare 
not  separate  the  eternal  divinity  of  the  Logos  and  the 
true  humanity  of  the  flesh  which  He  assumed.  Wher- 
ever we  meet  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  the  incarnate  Word, 
whether  it  be  in  the  manger,  or  on  the  cross,  or  on  the 
throne  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  there  the  true 
God  and  the  true  man  are  inseparably  united.^ 

8.    The  Incarnate  Word  Dwelling  among  Us. 
He  who,   in   the   beginning,   was   with   God,   was  now 

1  "  Vea,  if  I  should  myself  be  lost  (which  God  forbid  !)   I  should  still  re- 
joice that  Christ  of  my  flesh  and  bone  is  sitting  in  heaven  at  the  right  hand 


lo  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  14. 

dwelling  among  men,  a  true  Immanuel — God  with  us — a 
Shekinah,  different  from  the  passing  manifestations  of 
divine  glory  in  the  Old  Testament  called  theophanies. 
He  was  at  home  with  us  men,  says  John,  we  have  eaten 
with  Him  at  the  same  table,  slept  with  Him  under  the 
same  roof:  we  have  gone  out  and  come  in  with  Him; 
we  had  Him  with  us  as  our  friend  and  brother — our 
fellow-citizen  and  companion  of  our  pilgrimage.  By  this 
close  fellowship  we  had  an  opportunity  to  behold  His 
glory.  We,  says  the  Evangelist,  including  himself,  and 
mentioning  in  particular,  as  the  first  one  among  these 
eye-witnesses,  John  the  Baptist  (in  the  15th  verse).  To 
behold  His  glory  eyes  of  faith  were  needed,  then  as  well 
as  now,  as  the  Lord  said  to  Martha  :  "  If  thou  believedst, 
thou  shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God  "  (John  xi.  40).  It 
is  the  "  glory  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Father." 
Thus  He  is  clearly  distinguished  from  the  many  that  re- 
ceived the  right  to  become  the  children  of  God,  through 
Him,  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Father.  His  glory, 
as  revealed  by  His  incarnation,  is  characterized  as  the 
fulness  of  grace  and  truth  :  Grace  that  condescends  to 
the  sinner,  reclaims  the  lost,  invites  the  weary  and  heavy- 
laden,  bears  the  weak  in  patience,  makes  intercession  for 
His  enemies  on  the  cross — this  is  the  true  glory  of  the 
incarnate  Word  to  which  all  the  manifestations  of  His 
power,  His  signs  and  miracles  are  made  subservient.  And 
united  to  this  grace  is  truth;  the  absolute  revelation,  as 
grace  represents  the  absolute  redemption  ;  truth  over 
against  all  darkening  and  misrepresentation,  but  also  in 
antithesis  to  everything  that  is  vain,  unreal,  passing, 
while  the  life  and  light,  brought  by  the  incarnate  Word, 
are  substantial  realities  of  abiding  value. 

of  God.  Such  honor  has  been  given  to  what  is  my  bone,  flesh  and  blood," 
says  !\I.  Luther. 


1.  i5-iS.]  CHAPTER  I.  il 

9.  Receiving  out  of  His  Fulness    (i.  15-18). 

15-18.  John  beareth  witness  of  him,  and  crieth,  saying,  This  was  he  of 
whom  I  said,  He  that  cometh  after  me  is  become  before  me :  for  he  was 
before  me.  For  of  his  fuhiess  we  all  received,  and  grace  for  grace.  For 
the  law  was  given  by  Moses ;  grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ.  No 
man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time ;  the  only  begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  he  hath  declared  Jiiiii. 

To  the  blessed  experience  of  the  14th  verse,  "  We  be- 
held His  Glory,"  a  better  one  is  added:  "  Of  His  fulness 
we  all  received,  and  grace  for  grace."  This  actual  receiv- 
ing, taking  from  His  fulness,  is  the  one  need  for  all.  It 
is  made  possible  through  the  testimony  of  the  witnesses 
of  the  incarnate  Word,  such  as  John  the  Baptist.  No 
matter  what  gifts  men  may  have  received  already  from 
the  Creator's  hands,  their  true  and  abiding  treasures  come 
only  out  of  the  fulness  of  grace  and  truth  of  the  incar- 
nate Word.  Before  Him  all  of  us — the  most  learned  and 
gifted,  as  well  as  the  unwise  and  unlearned — must  be 
simply  receivers.  But  this  very  privilege  of  taking  from 
His  fulness  is  the  glorious  and  distinctive  mark  of  the 
New  Testament  revelation,  of  Christ  over  against  Moses, 
the  Gospel  over  against  the  Law.  The  Law  demands, 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  freely  gives.  Here  is 
the  end  of  Moses.  The  absolute  revelation  came  by  the 
only  begotten  Son,  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father, 
who  hath  declared  Him  as  the  Word  made  flesh. 

n.  The  Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  (i.  19-34). 
I.  First  Testimony  before  the  JeivisJi  Delegation  {^.  19-28). 

19-28.  And  this  is  the  witness  of  John,  when  the  Jews  sent  unto  him 
from  Jerusalem  priests  and  Levites  to  ask  him.  Who  art  thou .''  And  he 
confessed,  and  denied  not;  and  he  confessed,  I  am  not  the  Christ.  And 
they  asked  him.  What  then  ?  Art  thou    Elijah.'     And  he  saith,  I  am  not. 


12-  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [1.19-28. 

Art  thou  the  prophet  ?  And  he  answered,  No.  They  said  therefore  unto 
him,  Who  art  thou.'  that  we  might  give  an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us. 
What  sayest  thou  of  thyself.'  He  said,  I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the 
wilderness,  Make  straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  said  Isaiah  the  prophet. 
And  they  had  been  sent  from  the  Pharisees.  And  they  asked  him,  and 
said  unto  him.  Why  then  baptizest  thou,  if  thou  art  not  the  Christ,  neither 
Elijah,  neither  the  prophet }  John  answered  them,  saying,  I  baptize  with 
water :  in  the  midst  of  you  standeth  one  whom  ye  know  not,  even  he  that 
Cometh  after  me,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose. 
These  things  were  done  in  Bethany  beyond  Jordan,  where  John  was  bap- 
tizing. 

As  in  the  other  Evangelists,  so  also  in  John,  the  Gospel 
history  proper  begins  with  the  testimony  of  the  forerun- 
ner, John  the  Baptist,  Avhose  surname  "  the  Baptist," 
however,  is  not  once  mentioned  in  the  fourth  Gospel. 
He  is  simply  "  John,"  the  writer  of  the  Gospel  finding  it 
unnecessary  to  mark  him  more  particularly  in  distinction 
from  another  John,  the  author  himself.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  zvritcr  of  the  fourth  Gospel  stood  in  a 
peculiarly  intimate  relation,  not  only  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  but  also  to  John  the  Baptist.  We  found  already 
in  two  passages  of  the  "  Prologue,"  direct  references  to 
John  the  Baptist,  the  former  master  and  teacher  of  the 
Evangelist.  But  now  he  leads  us  deeper  into  the  very 
heart  of  the  testimony  of  the  Bapti-st  concerning  Christ. 
No  other  disciple  so  fully  grasped  the  very  centre  of  the 
Baptist's  preaching.  The  fourth  Gospel  holds  the  same 
place  in  this  respect  as  it  does  with  its  conception  and 
presentation  of  the  teachings  of  the  Lord  Himself.  \\\ 
the  Synoptical  Gospels  the  Baptist's  preparatory  preach- 
ing of  repentance  is  the  principal  point.  Only  in  a  sec- 
ondary and  indirect  manner  do  they  refer  to  his  testimony 
concerning  the  Person  and  work  of  the  Lord.  But  in  the 
fourth  Gospel  this  latter  is  the  main  thing.  Here  we 
learn  that  the  Baptist's  preaching  already  gave  forth 
such  a  full  and  clear  sound    concerninsj;    the    Person    of 


I.  19-23.]  CHAPTER  I.  13 

Christ,  as  the  One  that  cometh  after  him,  and  yet  is  before 
him,  the  latchet  of  whose  shoe  he  is  not  worthy  to  un- 
loose, and  concerning  the  work  of  Christ  as  the  Lamb  of 
God  which  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world.  These 
were  the  principal  features  in  the  preaching  of  John  the 
Baptist,  and  they  are  placed  in  the  foreground  in  the 
fourth  Gospel,  in  distinction  from  the  Synoptists.^ 

At  the  time  when  the  testimony  recorded  in  these  verses 
(i.  19-28)  was  given  by  the  Baptist,  he  must  have  already 
passed  the  height  of  his  public  ministry.  He  had  made 
that  deep  impression  which  led  many  to  ask  whether  he 
was  not  Christ  (Luke  iii.  15).  And  under  the  pressure  of 
the  deep  commotion  created  by  his  appearance  and 
preaching,  the  Sanhedrim  in  Jerusalem  at  last  finds  itself 
compelled  to  take  action  with  regard  to  this  man.  This 
Council,  at  the  time  of  Christ,  consisted  of  seventy-one 
members,  including  the  president,  high  priests,  elders  and 
scribes,  among  whose  duties  it  was  distinctly  mentioned, 
that  they  should  give  their  judgment  concerning  "  false 
prophets." 

The  commission  of  Priests  and  Levites  sent  from  Jeru- 
salem to  John  the  Baptist  is  represented  as  coming  from 
"  t/ie  Jeius."  This  name  "  Jews  "  is  one  of  the  character- 
istic features  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  in  which  it  occurs 
about  seventy  times,  whilst  the  Synoptical  Gospels  use  it 
much  less  frequently.  Here  and  there  in  the  fourth  Gos- 
pel it  appears  simply  as  an  indifferent  neutral  term,  to 
designate  the  nationality.  But  in  most  cases  it  has  a 
specific  meaning,  referring  to  the  religious  attitude  of 
the  people,  describing  them  as  the  enemies  of  the  Mes- 
sianic kingdom.  In  the  Old  Testament  the  original  name 
of  honor  for  God's  chosen  people  is  "  Israel"  (as the  Lord 

1  With  them  John  the  Baptist  is  pre-eminently  the  preacher  of  the  Law. 
In  the  fourth  Gospel  he  appears  principally  as  the  preacher  of  the  Gospel. 


14  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  19-2S. 

speaks  of  Nathanael  in  this  very  chapter,  ver.  47).  The 
name  "Jews"  appears  at  a  very  late  period,  from  the 
time  that  Israel  was  carried  away  into  captivity  (2  Kings 
xvi.  6  ;  Jerem.  xxxiv.  9),  when  the  people  as  a  whole  had 
departed  from  the  faith  of  their  fathers.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  here  also  the  animus  of  this  delegation  sent 
to  John  the  Baptist  was  by  no  means  friendly  towards 
John  and  the  kingdom  he  preached. 

In  the  three  negative  anszuers  which  the  Baptist  returns 
to  the  questions  of  the  ecclesiastical  commission  he  clearly 
and  decidedly  refutes  all  the  current  ideas  about  his  per- 
son and  ofifice.  He  is  not  the  Messiah,  not  Elias,  not  the 
prophet.  The  first  point  is  clear  enough.  But  how  about 
the  other  two  ?  The  very  last  prophetical  statement  of 
the  Old  Testament  connected  the  appearance  of  Elijah 
with  the  coming  of  Messiah.  (Mai.  iv.  5,  6),  "  Behold,  I 
will  send  you  Elijah  the  prophet,  before  the  coming  of 
the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord,  and  he  shall  turn 
the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  children  and  the  heart  of 
the  children  to  their  fathers,  lest  I  come  and  smite  the 
earth  with  a  curse."  And  the  very  first  New  Testament 
message  of  the  angel  to  Zacharias,  takes  up  that  last  word' 
of  the  Old  Testament  at  the  threshold  of  the  New,  and 
applies  it  to  John  the  Baptist,  the  forerunner  of  the  Lord 
(Luke  i.  17).  And  the  Lord  Himself  leaves  us  not  in 
doubt  as  to  the  meaning  of  that  prophecy  concerning 
Elias.  (See  Matt.  xvii.  9-13.)  And  yet  in  the  face  of 
all  this  John  says  to  the  inquiring  Jews:  "  I  am  not  Elias." 
In  the  sense  in  which  the  Jews  expected  the  re-appear- 
ance of  Elias,  and  which  had  been  minutely  detailed  by 
their  scribes,^  in  the  gross  material  sense  of  a  resurrection 
or  soul-migration,  he  was  not  Elias,  but  an  individuality 

1  They  held  that  he  would  have  to  anoint  the  Messiah  :  that  he  should. 
come  three  days  before  the  coming  of  Christ,  etc. 


I.  19-2S.]  CHAPTER  /.  15 

of  his  own,  distinct  from  Elias.  It  is  a  similar  case  with 
the  "  Prophet.''  Zacharias  had  said  of  the  newborn  John  : 
"  Thou  child  shalt  be  called  the  Prophet  of  the  Highest: 
for  thou  shalt  go  before  the  face  of  the  Lord  to  prepare 
His  ways."  And  the  Lord  said  distinctly  :  "  What  went 
ye  out  for  to  see  ?  A  prophet  ?  Yea,  I  say  unto  you 
and  more  than  a  prophet."  And  yet  again  John  answers 
in  the  negative  :  I  am  not  the  "  prophet,"  in  the  sense  of 
the  Jews,  after  their  construction  of  Deut.  xviii.  15,  or 
according  to  the  expectation  of  the  re-appearance  of  the 
prophet  Jeremiah.  ♦ 

At  last,  after  all  these  negatives,  John  x<t^.wxx\s2i positive 
aiisivcrVo  those  inquiries  concerning  his  person  and  work  : 
"  I  am  the  voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,"  etc. — Of 
the  two  Old  Testament  passages  (Mai.  iii.  I,  and  Isaiah 
xl.  3)  referring  directly  to  himself  he  selects  the  one  that 
speaks  in  the  humblest  terms  of  his  position.  "  A  voice," 
and  nothing  more  ;  nothing  in  himself,  no  honor  for  his 
own  person  ;  merely  an  instrument  of  Him  that  crieth  in 
the  wilderness.  "Wilderness!" — what  a  suggestion  to 
Israel,  and  especially  to  the  leaders  of  God's  people  who 
had  come  to  interrogate  John  !  The  place  of  the  darkest 
and  saddest  experiences  of  the  Israelites  before  their 
entrance  into  the  promised  Canaan.  Such  was  Israel's 
condition  again  at  the  time  of  John's  preaching.  Though 
in  Canaan  with  their  bodies,  they  were  in  the  wilderness 
spiritually,  in  a  state  of  utter  desolation,  like  sheep  with- 
out a  shepherd,  and  the  very  men  Avho  stood  before 
John  as  inquisitors,  were  responsible  for  this  condition. 
Therefore  the  Evangelist  significantly  adds :  The  men 
that  had  been  sent  were  ''from  among  the  Pharisees^ 
The  information  which  the  Baptist  gave  concerning  his 
person  became  a  rebuke  to  the  men  that  stood  before 
him  and  those  that  had  sent  them.     He  had  before  this 


1 6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  19-28. 

used  the  severest  language  against  the  Pharisees  and  Sad- 
ducees  (Matt.  iii.  7  ;  Luke  iii.  7).  "  But  the  Pharisees  and 
the  lawyers  rejected  for  themselves  the  counsel  of  God, 
being  not  baptized  of  him  "  (Luke  vii.  30). 

The  Pharisees  were  the  men  of  unyielding  tradition- 
alism, of  the  strictest  ecclesiastical  conservatism.  Jose- 
phus  mentions  them  first  at  the  time  of  the  high  priest 
Jonathan,  145  before  Christ.  The  exact  time  of  their 
origin  as  a  separate  party  is  difficult  to  define.  We  can 
trace  them  back  to  the  ancient  "  Chasidim,"  the  pious, 
"  the  devout,"  from  whom  also  came  the  Maccabean 
heroes.  Gradually  they  developed  into  the  "  Perushim  " 
— that  is,  the  "  separated  ones,"  who  held  themselves  to 
be  purer  and  holier  than  others.  But  with  their  strict 
observance  of  outward  forms  and  traditions  they  lost  the 
spirit  of  true  devotion  and  were  henceforth  characterized 
by  their  servitude  to  the  letter,  their  self-righteousness 
and  hypocrisy,  and  their  readiness  in  raising  questions  of 
subtle  casuistry.  Ever  since  the  time  of  the  Maccabees, 
whenever  those  leaders  began  to  favor  an  alliance  with 
Rome,  the  Pharisees  were  also  a  political  party,  zealously 
contending  for  the  national  independence  of  Israel  over 
aeainst  all  foreio;n  influence  or  interference. 

Having  received  John's  ansu'er  concerning  his  person, 
they  add  another  question  concerning  his  authority  to 
baptize,  being  neither  Christ  nor  Elias,  nor  the  prophet. 
It  appears,  then,  that  they  looked  upon  baptism  as  one 
of  the    signs    and    prerogatives    of  the    Messianic    Era.^ 

1  The  practice  of  baptizing  proselytes  which  is  claimed  by  some  writers  as 
an  ancient  Jewish  custom  is  very  doubtful,  at  least  as  far  as  its  date  is  con- 
cerned. Philo  and  Joseph  us  know  nothing  of  it.  Maimonides,  in  the  12th 
century,  is  the  first  to  mention  it  directly,  saying  that  it  had  been  custom- 
ary in  the  times  of  David  and  Solomon,  whilst  other  rabbinical  writers  date 
it  back  to  the  time  of  the  Patriarchs  ! 


1.  19-2S.]  CHAPTER  I.  17 

John's  answer  characterizes  his  baptism  simply  as  "  bap- 
tizing with  water ;  "  as  Matt.  iii.  11  has  it:  "I  indeed 
baptize  you  with  water  unto  repentance,  but  He  that 
Cometh  after  me  is  mightier  than  I.  He  shall  baptize 
you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire."  His  baptism 
symbolizes  repentance  on  the  part  of  those  that  receive 
it,  and  readiness  for  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  the 
Messiah.  Here,  then,  is  the  justification  of  John's  bap- 
tism :  The  kingdom  of  Christ  is  at  hand.  "  He  standeth 
in  the  midst  of  you  !  "  But  though  the  promised  One 
has  come,  the  leaders  of  Israel  "  know  Him   not." 

So  important  seems  this  event  to  the  Evangelist  that 
he  marks  carefully  the  locality  where  it  happened.  It 
was  at  Bethany,  not  Bethabara,  as  Origen  changed  the 
text  in  the  third  century,  because  he  was  unable,  more 
than  two  centuries  afterward,  to  find  a  trace  of  such  a 
village  on  the  Jordan.  As  we  have  in  the  Scriptures 
two  Canas,  two  Bethlehems,  two  Ramas,  etc.,  so  there 
were  two  Bethanys  ;  the  one  "nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  about 
fifteen  furlongs  off  "  (John  xi.  18),  the  other  distinctly 
marked  in  this  passage  as  "  Bethany  beyond  Jordan."^ 

2.  Second  Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  Addressed  to  his 

Disciples  (i.  29-34). 

29-34.  On  the  morrow  he  seeth  Jesus  coming  unto  him,  and  saith,  Be- 
hold, the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  This  is 
he  of  whom  I  said,  After  me  cometh  a  man  which  is  become  before  me : 
for  he  was  before  me.  And  I  knew  him  not ;  but  that  he  should  be  made 
manifest  to  Israel,  for  this  cause  came  I  baptizing  with  water.  And  John 
bare  witness,  saying,  I  have  beheld  the  Spirit  descending  as  a  dove  out  of 
heaven;  and  it  abode  upon  him.     And  I  knew  him  not  :  but  he  that  sent 

1  The  distance  of  the  "Bethany  beyond  Jordan  "  is  the  point  which  the 
Evangelist  intends  to  mark.     John   the   Baptist  "  did  not  make  things  con- 
venient for  the  Jews.     He  demanded  that  they  should  come  clear  over  the 
Jordan  to  him." — Luthardt. 
2 


iS  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  29-3^. 

me  to  baptize  with  water,  he  said  unto  me,  Upon  whomsoever  thou  shalt 
see  the  Spirit  descending,  and  abiding  upon  him,  the  same  is  he  that  bap- 
tizeth  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  I  have  seen,  and  have  borne  witness 
that  this  is  the  Son  of  God. 

The  solemn  testimony  of  the  Baptist  before  the  com- 
missioners from  Jerusalem  seems  to  have  been  lost  on 
them.  They  departed  without  taking  further  notice  of 
it.  But  the  testimony  given  on  the  two  following  days, 
in  the  presence  of  the  disciples  of  the  Baptist  and  other 
hearers,  had  a  different  effect,  as  we  shall  presently  see. 

If  the  first  testimony  had  spoken  of  the  absent  Christ, 
this  second  is  given  in  His  presence.  The  Baptist  points 
to  Him  personally,  bodily,  as  He  is  coming  up  from  the 
Wilderness,  probably  after  the  temptation.  "There  He 
is  Himself;  behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world  " — a  brief  and  yet  most  comprehen- 
sive statement  of  the  xvork  of  Christ.  The  "sins"  of 
his  hearers  had  been  a  constantly  recurring  theme  in  the 
discourses  of  the  Baptist.  His  preaching  and  baptizing 
Avere  unto  repentance  and  forgiveness  of  sins.  But 
neither  the  personal  repentance  of  the  sinners,  nor  that 
symbolical  baptism  in  itself,  had  the  power  of  taking  one 
sin  really  away  and  burying  it  out  of  sight.  Here  is  the 
man  to  do  this,  and  the  true,  divinely-appointed  method 
of  doing  it :  "  The  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away  the 
sin  of  the  world."  It  is  the  Lamb  of  God,  provided  by 
Him,  appointed  and  chosen  by  God  Himself;  not  alto- 
gether unknown  in  Israel,  foreshadowed  in  the  Passover- 
lamb,  whose  blood  turned  the  avenging  angel  aside  from 
the  doors  of  God's  people,  directly  prophesied  in  the 
well-known  words  of  Isaiah  liii.,  which  were  commonly 
accepted  by  the  Jews  as  referring  to  the  Messiah.  Our 
English  (Rev.)  Version  gives  two  readings  of  the  verb  in 
this  sentence.     In  the  text  itself  it  is  "  taketh  away  ;  "  on 


I.  29-34.]  CHAPTER  I.  1 9 

the  margin  it  reads :  "  bearcth."  The  two  combined 
give  the  full  meaning  of  this  momentous  term.  The 
"  taking  away  "  of  the  world's  sin  is  the  principal  idea, 
thus  ridding  the  world  of  sin  and  all  its  consequences  of 
guilt  and  judgment.  But  how  can  this  terrible  burden 
be  lifted  up  and  taken  away  if  there  is  no  one  to  put  his 
hand  to  it,  to  take  it  up,  burden  himself  with  it,  bear  it 
on  his  own  person  and  thus  bring  full  deliverance  from  it  ? 
The  question  has  been  asked  how  far  John  the  Baptist 
himself  was  fully  conscious  of  the  whole  extent  of  this 
message,  the  mediatorial  work  of  Christ,  the  meaning  of 
His  passion  and  death  for  the  reconciliation  of  the  world. 
We  know  how  slow  the  disciples  were  to  comprehend 
this.  We  know  that  John  the  Baptist  himself,  in  his  im- 
prisonment, had  his  difficulties  concerning  the  manner 
and  method  by  which  Christ  carried  on  His  work.  But 
all  this  cannot  affect  the  statement  itself.  It  is,  once  for 
all,  the  briefest  summary  of  Christ's  whole  Avork  of  re- 
demption, and  the  Church  could  not  but  acknowledge  its 
fulness  and  importance  by  incorporating  it  from  the 
earliest  time  into  her  services,  in  the  form  of  that  beautiful 
prayer  (the  "  Agnus  Dei"):  "O  Christ,  Thou  Lamb  of 
God,  that  takest  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  have  mercy 
upon  us — grant  us  Thy  peace." 

To  this  comprehensive  testimony  concerning  the  work 
of  Christ,  there  is  added  a  repetition  and  enlargement  of 
his  testimony  concerning  \.\iQ.  person  of  Christ,  emphasized 
by  a  direct  pointing  out  of  Him,  who  was  just  coming  to 
the  speaker,  and  by  a  detailed  reminiscence  of  what  John 
had  observed  on  the  occasion  of  Christ's  baptism.  (Cf. 
Matt.  iii.  16,  17.)  The  Lamb  of  God  \s  identical  with  the 
Son  of  God /  These  are  the  culminating  points  in  the 
testimony  of  the  Baptist.  Israel  will  find  in  the  Messiah 
the  Son  of  God,  who  makes  His  believers  partakers  of  the 


20  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [r.  35-51. 

glory  of  the  children  of  God,  only  on  condition  that  the 
Messiah  must  first  be  known  as  the  Lamb  of  God. 

III.  The  First  Disciples  of  the  Lord 
(John  i.  35-51)- 

35-51.  Again  on  the  morrow  John  was  standing,  and  two  of  his  disci- 
ples ;  and  he  looked  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  and  saith,  Behold,  the  Lamb 
of  God  !  And  the  two  disciples  heard  him  speak,  and  they  followed  Jesus. 
And  Jesus  turned,  and  beheld  them  following,  and  saith  unto  them,  What 
seek  ye  .''  And  they  said  unto  him.  Rabbi  (which  is  to  say,  being  interpreted, 
Master),  where  abidest  thou .'  He  saith  unto  them,  Come,  and  ye  shall  see. 
They  came  therefore  and  saw  where  he  abode  ;  and  they  abode  with  him 
that  day :  it  was  about  the  tenth  hour.  One  of  the  two  that  heard  John 
speak,  and  followed  him,  was  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's  brother.  He  findeth 
first  his  own  brother  Simon,  and  saith  unto  him,  We  have  found  the  Mes- 
siah (which  is,  being  interpreted,  Christ),  He  brought  him  unto  Jesus. 
Jesus  looked  upon  him,  and  said,  Thou  art  Simon  the  son  of  John:  thou 
shalt  be  called  Cephas  (which  is  by  interpretation,  Peter). 

On  the  morrow  he  was  minded  to  go  forth  into  Galilee,  and  he 
findeth  Philip :  and  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me.  Now  Philip  was 
from  Bethsaida,  of  the  city  of  Andrew  and  Peter.  Philip  findeth  Nathan- 
ael,  and  saith  unto  him.  We  have  found  him,  of  whom  Moses  in  the  law, 
and  the  prophets,  did  write,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph.  ■  And 
Nathanael  said  unto  him.  Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth  .'' 
Philip  saith  unto  him.  Come  and  see.  Jesus  saw  Nathanael  coming  to  him, 
and  saith  of  him.  Behold,  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile ! 
Nathanael  saith  unto  him.  Whence  knowest  thou  me  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  him,  Before  Philip  called  thee,  when  thou  wast  under  the  fig 
tree,  I  saw  thee.  Nathanael  answered  him.  Rabbi,  thou  art  the  Son  of 
God;  thou  art_  King  of  Israel.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Be- 
cause I  said  unto  thee,  I  saw  thee  underneath  the  fig  tree,  believest  thou.'' 
thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these.  And  he  saith  unto  him.  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Ye  shall  see  the  heaven  opened,  and  the  angels  of 
God  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  man. 

The  same  impressive  testimony  of  the  "  Lamb  of  God  " 
is  repeated  by  the  Baptist  on  the  following  day  in  the 
presence  of  two  of  his  disciples.  They  are  moved  thereby 
to  leave  John  and  to  follow  Jesus.  The  transition  from 
the  Old  to  the  New  Testament  is  represented  in  these  dis- 
ciples of  the  Baptist.     There  is  no  violent,  revolutionary 


I.  35-5' J  CHAPTER  I.  21 

break.  It  is  a  matter  of  course,  just  as  the  natural  falling 
of  the  ripened  fruit,  that  these  souls,  so  well  prepared  by 
the  testimony  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  of  their  master, 
John,  henceforth  belong  to  Jesus.  There  is  no  outward 
constraining,  no  direct  command  of  their  former  master, 
that  sends  them  off  to  Jesus,  but  simply  the  testimony 
concerning  Him  which  has  convinced  their  hearts  that  in 
Him  they  have  found  the  Messiah.  Their  question  : 
Where  abidest  Thou  ?  reminds  us  of  the  fact  that  the  in- 
carnate Word  "dwelt  among  us."  They  have  not  far  to 
go,  and  thus  these  first  hearts  come  and  see  and  receive 
from  Him  grace  for  grace.  It  is  the  beginning  of  the 
New  Testament  Church,  after  the  definition  of  the  Lord 
Himself :  "  Two  or  three  gathered  in  His  name,"  involving 
the  principle  also  of  constant  growth,  that  the  two — 
Andrew  and  his  companion — increase  to  the  number  of 
five  or  six,  and  the  six  to  twelve,  to  seventy,  to  120,  to 
3000,  and  so  on  ;  one  finding  another,  and  brother  leading 
the  brother  to  Christ. 

Andreiv  of  BctJisaida,  the  man  of  prompt  and  quick 
decisions,  is  the  first  in  the  New  Testament  to  call  out 
that  blessed  EupY/.a  in  which  the  problem  of  life  is  solved. 
His  companion  is  not  named.  No  doubt  it  is  the  same 
anonymous  one  whom  we  can  trace  all  through  this 
Gospel,  the  eye-witness  of  the  facts  here  recorded,  who 
recalled  so  distinctly  this  memorable  hour — the  Evangelist 
himself.  Having  found  the  Lord,  both  go  forth  to  bring 
their  brothers  also  to  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Andrew  was  the 
first  to  find  his  own  brother  Simon,  whilst  John  the 
Evangelist  went  for  his  brother  James. ^  There  is  a  certain 
similarity  of  temper  in  the  two  brothers,  Andrew  and 
Simon ;    only    what    was    promptness    and    readiness    in 

1  Clearly  indicated  in  the  original  of  the  41st  verse  orror  Trpuro^  ruv 
a<h/.<pni'  hhoi'. 


2  2  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  ['•  35-51- 

Andrew  frequently  became  rashness,  impetuosity  and 
hastiness  with  Peter.  Looking  to  Simon's  natural  char- 
acter, the  wind  or  wave  would  appear  to  have  furnished  a 
more  appropriate  figure  for  a  surname  than  the  firm,  im- 
inovable  rock.  But  He  who  turned  Saul  the  Pharisee 
into  the  herald  of  free  grace  and  righteousness  of  faith, 
changed  the  excitable,  hasty,  denying  Peter  into  the  con- 
fessor who  stood  like  a  rock.  But  how  often  had  sinking 
and  vacillating  Peter  to  be  rescued  by  the  Rock  of  Ages 
before  he  waxed  strong  enough  to  become  a  rock  and  a 
tower  of  strength  to  his  brethren  ! 

On  the  following  day  the  Lord  set  out  for  Galilee,  ac- 
companied by  those  disciples.  On  the  road  he  finds 
Philip,  the  townsman  of  Andrew  and  Peter.  It  is  first 
said:  "The  Lord  findeth  Philip"  (ver.  43),  and  after- 
wards Philip  says:  "  We  have  found  Him,"  etc.  (ver. 45), 
even  as  Paul  writes  (Phil.  iii.  12):  "That  I  may  appre- 
hend having  been  apprehended  by  Christ  Jesus."  This  is 
in  perfect  accord  with  the  peculiarity  of  Philip's  char- 
acter, which  was  marked  by  deliberation  and  slowness  of 
decision. 

Philip  findeth  Nathanacl,  who  is  generally  regarded  as 
identical  with  the  Bartholomew  of  the  other  Evangelists, 
who  all  name  him  in  connection  with  Philip.  Possibly 
the  name  Nathanacl  (Theodore)  might  have  been  given 
to  Bartholomew  on  this  occasion.  Philip  evidently  knows 
his  friend  Nathanacl.  He  knows  how  well  he  is  acquainted 
with  Moses  and  the  Prophets.  The  sober,  devout  study 
of  the  Old  Testament  and  the  earnest  hope  for  the 
Messiah,  who  was  to  come,  were  prominent  features  of 
Nathanael's  character.  Therefore  Philip  announces  the 
good  news  to  him  in  these  words  :  "  W'c  have  found  Him, 
of  whom  Moses  in  the  Law  and  the  Prophets  did  write, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  son  of  Joseph."     Li  perfect  har- 


1.35-5']  CHAPTER  I.  23 

mony  with  this  are  the  few  directly  personal  words  which 
the  Lord  addresses  to  Nathanael :  "  An  Israelite  indeed 
in  whom  is  no  guile."  (See  Psalm  xxxii.  2  :  "  Blessed  is 
the  man  unto  whom  the  Lord  imputeth  not  iniquity,  in 
whose  spirit  there  is  no  guile.")  No  wonder  that  he  is 
completely  overwhelmed  as  the  Lord  proceeds  to  remind 
him  of  those  quiet,  sacred  hours  of  prayer  and  meditation 
spent  under  his  fig  tree  !  Straightway  his  heart  leaps 
over  the  little  stumbling-block — the  lowly  home  of  the 
Nazarene — and  he  bursts  out  in  the  fullest  and  most  com- 
prehensive confession  of  Christ :  "  Thou  art  the  Son  of 
God,  Thou  art  the  king  of  Israel,"  on  which  the  Lord  sets 
His  own  seal  and  approbation  :  "Thou  believest,"  as  He 
did  on  later  occasions  with  Peter  and  Thomas. 

And  now  with  that  solemn  "Amen,  Amen,"  "Verily, 
verily  I  say  unto  you,"  which  is  so  frequent  in  John's 
Gospel,  and  which  takes  the  place  of  the  Old  Testament 
"  Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  the  last  sentence  of  this  won- 
derful first  chapter  is  introduced,  which  pictures  the  beau- 
tiful union  between  heaven  and  earth  since  the  appear- 
ance of  the  God-man — the  heavens  open,  God's  mes- 
sengers active  in  lively  intercourse  between  heaven  and 
earth  ;  another  reminder  of  a  well-known  Old  Testament 
passage,  the  ladder  in  Jacob's  dream  with  that  precious 
confession  :  "  This  is  none  other  but  the  house  of  God, 
and  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven."  But  this  experience, 
promised  to  Nathanael,  is  simply  the  reflex  of  what  we 
read  in  the  14th  verse  of  this  chapter:  Beholding  "the 
glory  of  the  only  begotten  from  the  Father,  full  of  grace 
and  truth." 

One  word  yet  demands  a  few  remarks  before  we  leave 
this  chapter,  '' tJic  Son  of  Many  The  whole  chapter 
abounds  in  striking  and  glorious  titles  given  to  Jesus 
Christ  our  Saviour.     The  eternal  Logos  ;  the  only  begot- 


24  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i.  35-51. 

ten  Son  of  the  Father ;  the  Lamb  of  God  ;  the  Son  of 
God  ;  the  King  of  Israel  ;  the  Messiah.  To  these  is  now 
added  this  new  and  significant  name  :  "  The  Son  of 
Man,"  the  Lord's  favorite  expression  in  speaking  of 
Himself.  Following,  as  it  does,  in  this  connection,  so 
closely  on  the  two  names  (used  by  Nathanael) :  "  Son  of 
God  ;  King  of  Israel,"  the  term  "  Son  of  Man  "  naturally 
seems  to  designate  another  important  relation  of  Christ. 
If  He  is  the  Son  of  God  in  His  relation  to  the  Father, 
and  the  King  of  Israel  in  His  relation  to  God's  chosen 
people,  He  is  the  "  Son  of  Man  "  in  His  relation  to  the 
human  race  as  such.  The  Word  incarnate  is  the  seed  of 
the  woman,  belonging  to  mankind,  unfettered  by  any 
barriers  of  nationality.  He  is  truly  one  of  us.  But  He 
is  at  the  same  time  above  all  men.  With  Him  our  his- 
tory takes  a  new  departure.  He  is  "  tJic  Son  of  Man 
(cf.  Psalm  viii.),  the  second  Adam,  the  new  beginner. 
But  this  He  can  only  be,  because  He  is  not  flesh  born  of 
flesh,  as  other  men,  but  the  Word  made  flesh,  true  God, 
born  of  the  Father  from  eternity  and  true  man,  born  of 
the  Virgin  Mary. 


CHAPTER  II. 
IV.  The  First  Sign  (John  ii.  i-ii). 

i-ii.  And  the  third  day  there  was  a  marriage  in  Cana  of  Galilee  ;  and 
the  mother  of  Jesus  was  there  :  and  Jesus  also  was  bidden,  and  his  disciples, 
to  the  marriage.  And  when  the  wine  failed,  the  mother  of  Jesus  saith 
unto  him,  They  have  no  wine.  And  Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  what  have 
I  to  do  with  thee  ?  mine  hour  is  not  yet  come.  His  mother  saith  unto  the 
servants,  Whatsoever  he  saith  unto  you,  do  it.  Now  there  were  si,x  water- 
pots  of  stone  set  there  after  the  Jews'  manner  of  purifying,  containing  two 
or  three  firkins  apiece.  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Fill  the  wa'erpots  with 
water.  And  they  filled  them  up  to  the  brim.  And  he  saith  unto  them. 
Draw  out  now,  and  bear  unto  the  ruler  of  the  feast.  And  they  bare  it. 
And  when  the  ruler  of  the  feast  tasted  the  water  now  become  wine,  and 
knew  not  whence  it  was  (but  the  servants  which  had  drawn  the  water  knew), 
the  ruler  of  the  feast  calleththe  bridegroom,  and  saith  unto  him,  Everyman 
setteth  on  first  the  good  wine;  and  when  men  have  drunk  freely,  then  that 
which  is  worse :  thou  hast  kept  the  good  wine  until  now.  This  beginning 
of  his  signs  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of  Galilee,  and  manifested  his  glory;  and  his 
disciples  believed  on  him. 

The  first  chapter  closed  with  the  promise  of  the  Lord 
to  Nathanael  :  "  Thou  shalt  see  greater  things  than  these 
— the  heavens  opened  and  the  angels  of  God  ascending 
and  descending  upon  the  Son  of  Man."  The  beginning 
of  the  second  chapter  now  brings  the  first  sign  of  the 
Lord,  of  which  the  Evangelist  says  with  special  emphasis : 
"  This  beginning  of  His  signs  did  Jesus  in  Cana  of 
Galilee  and  manifested  His  glory  and  His  disciples 
believed  on  Him."  The  word  "  sign "  is  one  of  the 
characteristic  and  favorite  terms  of  the  Gospel  of  John. 
The  Synoptical  Gospels  use  other  words  for  the  miracles 
of  the  Lord,  which  mainly  embody  the  idea  of  stupend- 

25 


26  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ii.  i-ii. 

OLis  deeds  of  superhuman  power.  With  John  they  are 
"  signs,"  to  indicate,  to  show,  to  signify  something. 
They  demonstrate  the  div^ine  glory  of  Christ  and  bring 
men  to  behold,  to  see  the  Lord.  People  believe  in  Him 
as  they  see  the  signs  which  He  did  (ji.  23). 

On  the  third  day  after  the  Lord's  departure  from  the 
valley  of  the  Jordan,  on  the  sixth  after  the  delegation 
from  Jerusalem  to  John  the  Baptist,  the  marriage  in  Cana 
took  place.  We  hold  the  present  village  of  Kefer  Kenna 
— about  six  miles  east  of  Nazareth — to  be  the  site  of 
ancient  Kana(and  not  Robinson's"  Kanael  Djelil,"  which 
is  too  far  off  to  the  north,  nearly  ten  miles  N.  N.  E.  of 
Nazareth).  The  presence  of  Mary,  the  mother  of  the 
Lord,  and  her  probable  connection  with  the  family, 
secured  the  invitation  to  Jesus  and  His  disciples — 
Andrew,  John,  Peter,  Philip,  Nathanael,  and  possibly 
James,  the  brother  of  John.  It  was  something  new  in 
Mary's  experience  with  her  son,  to  find  Him,  who  had 
heretofore  led  such  a  quiet,  retired  life,  coming  back 
from  His  visit  to  the  Baptist  at  the  head  of  a  little  band 
of  followers,  who  looked  up  to  Him  not  only  as  their 
teacher  (Rabbi),  but  as  the  promised  Messiah  of  Israel, 
in  whom  Moses  and  the  Prophets  were  fulfilled.  And  it 
was  a  great  change  for  the  former  disciples  of  the  Baptist, 
to  be  led  by  their  new  Master  straight  up  from  the  wil- 
derness, from  John's  stern  preaching  of  repentance,  from 
his  "  food  of  locusts  and  wild  honey,"  to  the  marriage 
feast  in  Kana  !     (See  Matt.  xi.  18.) 

And  now  the  significance  of  that  first  sign  at  Kana, 
which  has  been  a  stumbling-block -to  many,  unbelievers 
and  believers,  though  John  and  Andrew  and  all  the  dis- 
ciples saw  in  it  a  manifestation  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
and  a  strengthening  of  their  faith.  In  the  first  place 
there  is  a  special  significance  in  the  occasion  for  this   sign. 


II.  i-ix.]  CHAPTER  IT.  27 

It  was  done  at  a  marriage.  Within  the  four  walls  of  the 
house,  in  the  narrow  precinct  of  the  family  life  the  first 
demonstration  of  New  Testament  blessings  takes  place, 
thereby  recognizing  the  fundamental  importance  of  the 
family  as  God's  own  sacred  institution,  also  for  the  New 
Testament  dispensation.  In  the  family,  first  of  all,  the 
glory  of  the  Lord  is  manifested.  Out  of  the  family  His 
church  is  to  be  built. 

Again,  there  is  a  great  special  significance  in  this  sign 
affecting  the  relation  between  Christ  and  His  mother  Mary. 
Whatever  may  have  been  her  intentions  or  expectations, 
when,  the  wine  failing,  she  said  to  her  Son  :  "  They  have 
no  wine,"  it  is  manifest  that  the  Lord  will  have  no  inter- 
ference— not  even  intercession — on  her  part  in  matters 
that  concern  His  Messianic  ministry,  the  revelation  of 
His  glory  as  the  God-man.  Eighteen  years  before  this, 
Mary  had  gone  through  a  similar  experience,  when  the 
boy  of  twelve  years  defended  Himself  in  the  temple 
against  the  unmerited  rebukes  of  His  mother  with  those 
memorable  words :  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  in  my 
Father's  house,  about  my  Father's  business?"  Now, 
after  His  baptism  and  temptation,  when  He  had  formally 
entered  upon  His  public  ministry  as  the  Messiah,  He  is 
more  than  ever  "about  His  Father's  business,"  and  no 
human  creature,  not  even  the  mother  that  bore  Him,  is 
allowed  to  interfere  with  that.  However  sharp  the  re- 
buke may  appear  to  our  modern  way  of  feeling,  it  is 
evident  that  there  was  no  resentment  on  Mary's  part. 
Her  word  to  the  servants  proves  this  :  "  Whatsoever  He 
saith  unto  you,  do  it."  This  is  Mary's  last  word  recorded 
in  Scripture,  a  v/ord  of  quiet,  humble,  implicit  obedience 
and  submission  to  her  Lord  and  Master  ;  a  last  will  and 
protest  on  her  part  against  the  unscriptural  exaltation 
bestowed   upon  her  by  mediaeval   Mariolatry,  not  only 


28  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ii.  i-ii. 

dishonoring  her  divine  Lord,    but  robbing  that  humble 
handmaid  of  God  herself  of  her  brightest  jewel. 

Again,  there  is  a  significance  in  this  sign,  in  that  it  sets 
forth  the  evangelical  freedom  and  Joy  of  the  Nezv  Testa- 
ment dispensation  over  against  the  rigid  legalism  of  the 
Old.  The  contents  of  the  six  water-pots  "  set  there  after 
the  Jews'  manner  of  purifying,"  all  changed  into  wine, 
form  a  striking  illustration  to  John  i.  17.  The  law  was 
given  by  Moses,  etc.  At  the  opening  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment era  we  see  in  the  foreground  not  so  much  the 
serious  task  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  its  struggles  and 
sacrifices,  but  rather  its  blessedness  and  comforts,  even 
as  the  sermon  on  the  mount  opens  not  with  the  duties 
laid  upon  the  citizen  of  God's  kingdom,  but  with  the 
beatitudes  enjoyed  by  him.  The  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  certainly  must  go 
through  a  fight  and  bear  a  burden,  at  the  sight  of  which 
we  stand  in  awe;  but  here,  at  the  beginning  of  His 
mediatorial  work,  He  grants  us  an  outlook  into  the  very 
consummation  of  His  kingdorn,  with  its  final  victory, 
peace  and  glory  ;  the  marriage  feast  at  Kana  foreshadows 
the  marriage  of  the  Lamb,  the  tabernacle  of  God  with 
men,  He  dwelling  with  them,  every  tear  wiped  away,  and 
death  no  more,  neither  mourning,  nor  crying,  nor  pain 
any  more,  the  first  things  passed  away,  all  things  made 
new  (Rev.  xxi.  3-6).  And  this  is  the  last  and  highest 
significance  of  the  sign  in  Kana,  that  it  typifies  the  final 
transfiguration  and  glorification  of  nature  itself,  changing 
its  imperfections,  its  woes  and  sorrows  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God. 

V.  The  First  Prophecy  of  the  Lord  Concerning 
His  Death  and  Resurrection  (John  ii.  12-25). 

12-25.     After  this  he  went  down  to  Capernaum,  he,  and  his  mother,  and 
his  brethren,  and  his  disciples  :  and  there  they  abode  not  many  days. 


II.  12-25.]  CHAPTER  II.  29 

And  the  passover  of  the  Jews  was  at  hand,  and  Jesus  went  up  to 
Jerusalem.  And  he  found  in  the  temple  those  that  sold  oxen  and  sheep 
and  doves,  and  the  changers  of  money  sitting :  and  he  made  a  scourge  of 
cords,  and  cast  all  out  of  the  temple,  both  the  sheep  and  the  oxen ;  and  he 
poured  out  the  changers'  money,  and  overthrew  their  tables ;  and  to  them 
that  sold  the  doves  he  said.  Take  these  things  hence ;  make  not  my 
Father's  house  a  house  of  merchandise.  His  disciples  remembered  that  it 
was  written,  The  zeal  of  thine  house  shall  eat  me  up.  The  Jews  therefore 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  What  sign  shewest  thou  unto  us,  seeing  that 
thou  doest  these  things  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  Destroy 
this  temple,  and  in  three  days  I  will  raise  it  up.  The  Jews  therefore  said, 
Forty  and  six  years  was  this  temple  in  building,  and  wilt  thou  raise  it  up  in 
three  days  ?  But  he  spake  of  the  temple  of  his  body.  When  therefore  he 
was  raised  from  the  dead,  his  disciples  remembered  that  he  spake  this : 
and  they  believed  the  scripture,  and  the  word  which  Jesus  had  said. 

Now  when  he  was  in  Jerusalem  at  the  passover,  during  the  feast,  many 
believed  on  his  name,  beholding  the  signs  which  he  did.  But  Jesus  did  not 
trust  himself  unto  them,  for  that  he  knew  all  men,  and  because  he  needed 
not  that  any  one  should  bear  witness  concerning  man  ;  for  he  himself 
knew  what  was  in  man. 

In  the  1 2th  verse  there  are  two  points  of  special  impor- 
tance. First  the  reference  to  the  Lord's  family:  "  He 
and  His  mother  and  His  brothers."  Were  these  brothers 
sons  of  Joseph  by  a  first  marriage?  or  of  Joseph  and 
Mary,  born  after  Him?  There  is  nothing  in  Scripture 
that  would  forbid  this  last  and  certainly  most  natural 
understanding  of  this  term.  (Cf.  Matt.  xii.  46,  xiii.  55  ; 
Mark  vi.  3  ;  John  vii.  5  ;  Gal.  i.  19;   i  Cor.  ix,  5.) 

The  second  point  of  importance  is  the  statement  that 
the  Lord  with  His  disciples  abode  at  Capernaum  "  not 
many  days."  This  is  evidently  said  with  a  view  to  the 
Synoptical  record  of  the  longer  and  repeated  abode  in 
that  place  which  had  the  honor  of  being  called  His  own 
city.  The  writer  of  the  fourth  Gospel  knows  of  those 
extended  sojourns  of  Jesus  in  Galilee  (see  also  John  vi. 
2),  though  in  his  Gospel  he  has  comparatively  little  to  say 
about  them.  To  him,  the  most  important  sphere  of  the 
Lord's  public  ministry  was  Jerusalem  and  Judaea.     He 


30  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ii.  12-25. 

pays  special  attention  to  the  testimonies  of  the  Lord 
given  in  the  presence  of  the  leaders  of  Israel  in  the  holy 
city,  at  the  temple  and  at  the  great  festival  seasons, 
especially  Easter. 

Here,  then,  the  Messiah  makes  His  first  public  appear- 
ance (with  His  fan  in  His  hand),  ready  to  cleanse  His 
threshing-floor  and  to  clear  out  the  leaven  from  His 
Father's  house.  The  sanctuary  of  the  temple  itself  was 
surrounded  by  a  number  of  courts  ;  the  outer  court  of  the 
gentiles,  that  of  the  women,  that  of  the  men,  that  of  the 
priests,  each  one  on  a  higher  elevation  than  the  preceding 
one.  In  the  outer  court,  with  the  silent  approbation  of 
the  authorities,  a  sort  of  market  and  exchange  had  been 
established  for  the  accommodation  of  visitors  at  festival 
seasons,  who  could  there  buy  their  beasts  of  sacrifice  and 
exchange  their  Greek  and  Roman  currency  for  temple 
money,  in  which  the  annual  tax  (a  quarter  dollar)  had  to 
be  paid.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  such  a  practice  would,  in 
the  course  of  time,  naturally  lead  to  many  disorders  in 
the  sanctuary.  For  eighteen  years  Jesus  of  Nazareth  had 
been  a  witness  to  these  things  on  His  regular  annual  visits 
to  Jerusalem.  His  heart  was  sore  over  the  scandals  dis- 
honoring "  His  Father's  house,"  which  had  been  such  an 
attraction  to  the  boy  of  twelve.  Here,  then,  the  reform- 
atory work  and  the  official  testimony  of  the  Messiah  had 
to  begin.  He  opens  and  closes  His  public  ministry  with 
the  symbolical  act  of  purifying  the  temple.  (Luke  xix. 
45,  46,  gives  the  account  of  the  second  act  at  the  last 
Easter.)  With  flaming  zeal  the  Lord  attacks  the  pro- 
faners  of  the  sanctuary  ;  the  scourge  in  His  hand,  though 
not  as  an  instrument  actually  applied  for  punishment,  but 
as  a  symbol  of  His  authority  to  exercise  discipline.  For 
not  to  physical  force  did  that  crowd  yield,  but  to  the 
majesty  of  His  person.     The  disciples  themselves  are  so 


II.  I2.-25.]  CHAPTER  II.  31 

deeply  impressed  with  these  strange  proceedings  that, 
ahnost  unconsciously,  they  turn  into  prophets,  applying 
to  their  Lord  the  Old  Testament  prophecy  :  "  The  zeal 
of  Thine  house  shall  eat  me  up  !  "  This  was  indeed  the 
first  divination  of  the  passion  of  the  Lord  that  passed 
through  their  souls.  Yes,  the  zeal  for  His  Father's  house 
and  business  will  eat  Him  up  :  will  give  him  no  rest  until 
His  life  shall  be  spent  and  His  blood  shed  ! 

On  the  other  hand  the  Jews  demand  a  sign  in  addition 
to  the  sign  which  had  just  been  shown  before  their 
eyes.  Such  was  the  custom  of  their  Pharisaic  unbelief. 
The  Lord  answers  them  with  a  mysterious  utterance, 
pointing  indeed,  as  we  will  afterward  see,  to  the  greatest 
of  all  His  signs  (death  and  resurrection),  but  in  the  form 
of  a  parable,  revealing  and  yet  veiling  a  problem  even  to 
the  disciples,  who  did  not  fathom  its  depth  until  after  the 
death  and  resurrection  of  their  Lord.  The  Jews  also, 
after  their  manner,  retained  that  remarkable  word  in  their 
memory,  using  it  as  a  testimony  against  the  Lord  before 
the  high-priest  (Matt.  xxvi.  61  ;  Mark  xiv.  57  f.),  and  even 
afterwards  in  the  tumultuous  proceeding  against  the  first 
martyr,  Stephen  (Acts  vi.  14).  The  difificulty  of  the 
Lord's  statement  lies  in  the  double  sense  of  the  word 
"  temple."  The  Jews  limited  its  meaning  to  the  visible 
sanctuary,  built,  or  rather  restored,  especially  through  the 
efforts  of  Herod,  during  a  period  of  forty-six  years.  The 
Lord,  using  the  term  in  a  much  deeper  and  more  compre- 
hensive sense,  referred  ultimately  to  the  temple  of  His 
body.  "  Go  on,"  He  says  to  the  representatives  of  the 
Old  Testament  Theocracy,  "  break  up,  destroy  everything 
here,  as  you  are  on  the  road  to  do:  Ruin  God's  kingdom, 
God's  people,  God's  house  and  Him,  who  is  greater  than 
the  temple,  God's  Son,  the  divine  Shekinah,  dwelling 
among  you."     With  the  slaying  of  the  Messiah  this  work 


32  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ii.  12-25. 

of  destruction  is  virtually  accomplished.  It  is  the  death- 
knell  of  the  Old  Testament  dispensation — its  sacrifices, 
its  priesthood,  its  temple  itself — remember  the  veil  rent 
in  twain  from  top  to  bottom  !  But  the  slain  Messiah 
rises  from  death,  and  the  true  kingdom  of  God,  the 
spiritual  Israel,  the  New  Testament  temple  of  the  Lord 
is  established  !  Thus  the  demand  of  the  Jews  for  a  sign 
is  met  by  the  Lord  with  a  reference  to  the  great  central 
sign  and  miracle  of  His  life — His  resurrection  from  the 
dead.  The  same  argument  was  employed  by  Him  on 
other  occasions  (see  Matt.  xii.  39) :  "  This  evil  and  adul- 
terous generation  seeketh  after  a  sign,  and  there  shall  no 
sign  be  given  to  it  but  the  sign  of  Jonah  the  prophet." 

The  chapter  closes  with  a  remarkable  statement  con- 
cerning the  impression  made  by  the  Lord  during  His  stay 
in  Jerusalem.  After  all  "  Many  believed  on  His  name 
beholding  His  signs,  which  He  did  do."  There  is  a  cer- 
tain play  of  words  here  in  the  original.  The  Lord  did 
not  quite  believe  in  those  believers.  There  was  not  in  all 
cases  a  relation  of  personal  communication  and  confidence 
established.  Those  that  had  been  impressed  to  a  certain 
extent  by  His  signs  had  to  draw  nearer  to  be  bound  to 
Him  in  abiding,  saving  faith.  Such  a  one  was  Nicodemus, 
of  whom  we  are  told  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  III. 

The  connection  between  the  3d  and  the  2d  chapter  is 
obvious.  At  the  close  of  the  2d  the  impression  had  been 
recorded  which  the  signs  of  the  Lord  made  on  many 
people.  They  "  believed  on  His  name,  beholding  His 
signs  which  He  did.''  But  at  the  same  time  the  Evange- 
list indicates  that  this  was  in  most  cases  not  yet  a  full, 
clear,  decided  faith,  but  only  a  half  belief  which  needed 
to  be  pruned  and  trained  to  a  full,  mature  development. 

We  are  also  reminded  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
of  the  comprehensive  and  pathetic  statement  made  in 
i.  1 1  :  He  came  unto  His  own,  and  they  that  were  His 
own  received  Him  not  ;  but  as  many  as  received  Him,  to 
them  gave  He  the  right  to  become  children  of  God,  even 
to  them  that  believe  on  His  name.  Though  the  great 
mass  of  the  people  are  indifferent  to  the  testimony  of  the 
Lord,  still  there  are  individuals  emerging  from  the  multi- 
tude of  unbelievers  and  half  believers,  who  cast  off  the 
restraints  of  reigning  prejudices  and  come  to  Jesus,  to 
that  same  Jesus  who  said  :  No  man  can  come  unto  Me 
except  it  be  given  unto  him  of  the  Father  and  all  that 
which  the  Father  giveth  Me  shall  come  unto  Me  ;  and  him 
that  Cometh  unto  Me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out  (John  vi. 
65,  37).  And  we  see  them  coming  from  very  different, 
yea,  opposite  conditions  and  surroundings.  It  would 
hardly  be  possible  to  think  of  a  more  striking  contrast 
than  that  presented  by  Nicodemus  and  the  Samaritan 
woman,  the  highly  respectable  Pharisee,  scholar,  master 
3  33 


34  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  i,  2. 

in  Israel  and  member  of  the  Sanhedrim,  and  the  poor 
ignorant  woman  of  Samaria,  under  the  cloud  of  her  past 
life. 

VI.  The  Conversation  with  Nicodemus  (iii.  1-21). 

I.   CJiar  act  cr  of  Nicodemus  and  Jiis  Motives   in  Coming  to 
Jesus  (iii.  i,  2). 

1-2.  Now  there  was  a  man  of  the  Pharisees,  named  Nicodemus,  a  ruler 
of  the  Jews  :  the  same  came  unto  him  by  night,  and  said  to  him.  Rabbi, 
we  know  tliat  thou  art  a  teacher  come  from  God:  for  no  man  can  do  these 
signs  that  thou  doest,  except  God  be  with  him. 

We  cannot  fail  to  mark  a  certain  reticence  and  reserve 
of  the  Evangelist  concerning  the  character  and  intentions 
of  Nicodemus  on  the  occasion  of  his  first  appearance, — 
perhaps  a  hint  to  his  readers  not  to  judge  the  Old  Phar- 
isee prematurely.  But  knowing,  as  we  do,  the  final  out- 
come of  the  intercourse  between  Nicodemus  and  the 
Lord,  we  have  a  right  even  at  this  early  point  to  consider 
the  whole  man,  as  he  presents  himself  in  the  light  of  later 
developments  with  all  his  ups  and  downs,  his  advances 
and  retreats  on  the  way  to  Jesus.  He  was  a  Pharisee 
and  a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrim, 
belonging  to  the  inner  circle  and  the  highest  caste  of  un- 
believing Judaism.  Considering  the  animus  of  the  lead- 
ing class  displayed  towards  the  Lord  on  the  occasion  of 
the  first  purifying  of  the  temple,  we  ought  to  give  him 
much  credit  for  venturing  to  Jesus,  even  stealthily  and  at 
night.  But  Nicodemus  Avas  "  a  man  "  before  he  was  a 
Pharisee,  and  it  was  the  man  in  him,  the  hungering  and 
thirsting  of  a  true  human  soul,  which  all  his  Pharisaism 
could  not  satisfy,  that  made  him  come  to  the  fountain  of 
truth.  Without  that  direct,  kind  invitation,  "  Come  and 
see,"  which  had  brought  Andrew  and  John  to  the  Master's 
room,  Nicodemus  found  out  where   He  abode  and  came 


in.  I,  2.]  CHAPTER  HI.  35 

and  saw  !     Though  late  at  night,  Jesus  is  up  and  awake 
for  him. 

And  now  he  is  in,  with  Jesus  and  possibly  a  little  group 
of  attentive  listeners,  the  disciples  of  whom  we  heard 
before,  among  them  the  writer  of  this  Gospel.  At  the 
point  of  beginning  the  conversation  we  find  Nicodemus 
all  in  ferment  and  conflict.  On  the  one  side  a  mighty 
drawing  to  Jesus,  great  reverence  and  admiration  for 
Him, — an  honest  attempt  to  give  "Him  His  due  honor  ; 
on  the  other  side  still  a  looking  to  men,  a  fear  of  losing 
his  standing  with  them,  a  holding  on  to  his  former  associa- 
tions. "  Rabbi,  we  know  " — was  this  a  greeting  from  a 
small  circle  of  men  disposed  like  Nicodemus  and  Joseph 
of  Arimathasa,  who  had  sent  him  as  their  commissioner 
to  Jesus  ?  We  look  upon  it  rather  as  a  somewhat  stiff 
and  awkward  way  of  introducing  himself  as  a  member 
of  that  privileged  class,  the  rulers  and  Pharisees,  an  at- 
Lcmpt  to  shelter  himself  in  the  perplexity  of  the  moment 
behind  the  dignity  of  his  august  colleagues,  the  councillors. 
This  "  we  know  "  was  one  of  their  characteristic  phrases 
over  against  "  the  multitude  which  knoweth  not  the  law."  ^ 
And  yet,  what  a  remarkable  concession  and  confession 
these  words  are  in  the  mouth  of  Nicodemus  !  The  words 
and  the  signs  of  the  Lord  then  had  been  telling  on  them  ! 
Here  is  the  testimony  of  their  conscience  uttered  by  honest 
Nicodemus,  though  he  may  stand  alone  in  thus  boldly 
expressing  it:  "  We  know  that  thou  art  come  from  God." 
This  means  a  great  deal  in  the  language  of  Israel  of  that 
day.  They  did  expect  one  that  was  to  come  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord.  The  '^  coming  one''  is  the  standing  name  of 
the  JMcssiaJi.     Nicodemus  had  certainly  not  forgotten  the 

^  See  also  John  ix.  24-29.  We  knmu  that  this  man  is  a  sinner.  We  know 
that  God  hath  spoken  unto  Moses,  but,  as  for  this  man,  we  kiicrcu  //^/whence 
he  is. 


36  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  i,  2. 

Baptist's  answer  to  the  delegation  from  the  Sanhedrito/5 
"  In  the  midst  of  you  standeth  one  whom  ye  know  not| 
even  Jic  that  conicth  after  me."  The  term  "  come  from 
God,"  then,  recognizes  an  immediate  divine  authority, 
distinguished  from  and  above  that  of  the  regular  ofificial 
teachers  and  rulers ;  and  even  beyond  that,  it  borders  on 
the  formal  recognition  of  Jesus  as  the  Messiah.  But  if 
this  was  a  bold  advance  in  the  opening  words  of  Nico- 
demus,  it  is  quickly  followed  by  a  timid  retreat  in  the 
cautious  words  "  a  teacher  " — and  "  God  with  him  ;  " — 
this  is  after  all  nothing  beyond  purely  human  possibilities ! 
It  represents  essentially  that  Pharisaic  position  of  common- 
rationalism,  that  the  people  only  need  a  teacher  able  to 
decide  difficult  theological  questions  and  to  interpret  the 
law,  so  that,  being  properly  informed,  men  may  do  the  will 
of  God  according  to  their  natural  power  and  ability. 

In  all  this  Nicodemus  has  not  yet  asked  a  question. 
But  the  Lord  who  needed  not  that  any  one  should  bear 
witness  concerning  man,  for  He  Himself  "  knew  what 
was  in  man,"  took  up  the  very  things  which  Nicodemus 
needed  most.  He  answered  him.  The  salient  points  of 
the  whole  dialogue  are  so  many  blows  at  the  very  heart 
of  Pharisaism.  It  may  not  be  improper  to  compare  this 
first  longer  discourse  in  John  with  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  in  Matthew.  They  are  essentially  directed  against 
the  same  enemy,  and  the  expositions  made  to  Nicodemus 
throw  a  singular  light  on  the  central  theme  of  the  Sermon 
on  the  Mount :  "  Except  your  righteousness  shall  exceed 
the  righteousness  of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall 
in  no  wise  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

2.    TJie  Necessity  of  a  New  Birth  (iii.  3). 

3.  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee. 
Except  a  man  be  born  anew,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 


III.  3.]  CHAPTER  in.  2,1 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  was  in  the  mind  of  Nicodemus. 
On  this  subject  turns  the  "  answer  "  of  the  Lord.  He 
meets  the  proud  conceit  of  the  Pharisaic  "  We  know  " 
with  the  solemn,  positive  assurance  of  the  "  teacher  come 
from  God  :  "  "  Verily,  verily  I  say  unto  thee," — No  out- 
ward force  or  organization,  no  reconstruction  of  political 
relations  or  reformation  of  life  can  build  up  the  kingdom 
of  God  or  secure  membership  in  it,  but  only  a  new  birth, 
by  which  men  become  the  children  of  God  (i.  12).  Of 
course  Nicodemus  had  never  doubted  up  to  this  point 
that  he  himself  was  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  Who  in  the 
world  should  be,  if  he  was  not  ?  And  now  he  is  told  that 
he,  as  well  as  every  one  else,  must  be  born  anew,  before  he 
can  even  see,  have  a  clear  conception  of,  much  less  a  full 
participation  in  this  kingdom  !  Whether  we  take  it,  to  be 
born  anew,  or  to  be  born  from*?^^^':'^,  makes  no  difference  in 
the  end  :  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  new  beginning  is  the 
cardinal  point  in  the  Lord's  answer.  It  is  not  a  matter  of 
teaching  certain  doctrines,  but  of  having  a  new  life  ;  not 
of  doing  or  leaving  undone  certain  things,  but  of  beiiig  a 
regenerate  man  ;  not  of  living  differently,  but  of  being 
born  anew.  Men  will  never  get  into  the  kingdom  of  God 
by  reading,  thinking,  studying,  inquiring,  talking  or  fight- 
ing about  it,  they  must  be  born  into  it.  And  this  "  new 
birth  "  is  not,  as  it  is  far  too  commonly  looked  upon,  a 
mere  figure  of  speech.  It  expresses  a  divine  act  anc 
human  experience,  the  reality  of  w^hich  is  in  no  wise 
behind  that   of  the  natural  birth   of  man. 

3.    The  Nature  and  Means  of  the  New  Birth  (iii.  4-8). 

4-8.  Nicodemus  saith  unto  him,  How  can  a  man  be  born  wlien  he  is 
old?  can  he  enter  a  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and  be  born  ? 
Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  Except  a  man  be  born  of 
water  and   the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.     That 


38  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [iii.  4-8. 

which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh ;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit.  Marvel  not  that  I  said  unto  thee,  Ye  must  be  born  anew.  The 
wind  bloweth  wliere  it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  voice  thereof,  but 
knowest  not  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth  :  so  is  every  one  that 
is  born  of  the  Spirit. 

The  means  or  factors  by  which  this  new  birth  is  to  be 
accompHshed  are  "  water  and  Spirit,"  the  earthly  element 
and  the  power  from  on  high,  side  by  side  joined  together 
for  this  mysterious  work,  not  the  water  without  the 
Spirit,  nor  the  Spirit  without  the  water,  not  a  water 
which  is  a  figure  of  the  Spirit,  nor  the  Spirit  as  a  spirit- 
ual water,  but  the  one  as  objectively  and  really  as  the 
other  ;  though  the  creative,  life-giving  power  is  of  the 
Spirit.  It  is  essentially  a  birth  of  the  Spirit  over  against 
the  birth  of  the  flesh  ;  which  means  the  whole  Adamitic 
nature  of  man,  not  simply  his  corporalit3%  but  his  moral 
state  in  antagonism  to  the  spirit  of  God  (Gen.  vi.  3).  In 
this  bondage  of  natural  corruption  all  that  is  born  of  flesh 
is  involved.  There  is  no  getting  out  of  it.  It  holds  every 
one  that  comes  into  this  world  by  natural  birth  (i.  13),  no 
matter  how  highly  gifted,  how  well  trained,  how  lofty 
his  aspirations,  he  is  flesh,  born  of  flesh,  and  every  new 
start  in  life,  even  if  the  impossible  could  happen  and  man 
could  enter  a  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb  and  be 
born  (as  Nicodemus  said) — would  still  find  him  in  the 
same  hopeless  condition.  But  depressing  and  desperate 
as  this  looks,  the  second  clause  of  that  verse  has  an  assur- 
ing tone  about  it.  "  That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is 
spirit y  There  is  then  such  a  thing  in  this  world  of  flesh, 
as  being  born  of  the  Spirit.  It 'is  a  possibility  and  an 
actual  reality  in  spite  of  its  mysteriousncss.  This  is  fur- 
ther shown  in  the  following  verses  (vers.  7,  8),  in  which 
the  Lord  so  kindly  points  Nicodemus  to  an  analogous 
every-day  occurrence   in  nature.     Remember   the  "  W'c 


!!i.  4-S.]  CIIAPTLR  m.  3(j 

know,"  with  which  Nicodemus  had  introduced  himself. 
With  all  his  knowledge  the  learned  doctor  is  unable  to 
explain  the  whence  and  the  whither  of  this  natural  pro- 
cess. It  is  the  mystery  in  it  which  the  Lord  means  to 
emphasize.  "  Thou  knowest  not,"  though  there  is  no 
denying  the  fact,  that  the  wind  is  bloiving,  for  its  voice  is 
distinctly  heard.  With  other  processes  of  nature  we  are 
to  some  extent  able  to  make  out  the  whence  and  the 
whither.  We  can  follow  the  river  up  to  the  tiny  brook- 
let and  to  the  spring  where  it  bursts  from  the  rock,  and 
down  to  the  mighty  ocean  in  which  it  is  received.  We 
can  dig  up  the  root  of  the  tree,  we  know  the  seed  from 
which  it  grew,  we  can  follow  its  fruits  to  all  their  differ- 
ent uses,  we  can  even  see  the  old  barren  tree  cut  down 
and  cast  into  the  fire — but  the  wind,  that  freest  motion 
impelled  by  hidden  power,  is  the  most  incalculable  and 
mysterious  of  all.  Surely  "  there  are  more  things  in 
heaven  and  earth  than  are  dreamt  of  in  our  philosophy." 
And  if,  even  in  the  sphere  of  nature  we  must  a  hundred 
times  accept  the  verdict  :  "Thou  knowest  not," — much 
more  is  this  the  case  with  the  mysteries  of  spiritual  life, 
those  great  central  questions  :  Whence  ?  Whither  ?  The 
heart  of  man,  more  unfathomable  than  the  deepest  ocean  ! 
The  fall  of  man,  with  its  consequences,  evil  and  death  ! 
The  thoughts  and  ways  of  God  for  our  salvation, — not  as 
our  ways  and  our  thoughts  !  How  can  we  know  anything 
certain  about  all  this  ?  Who  will  tell  us,  when  even  the 
teachers  of  Israel  do  not  understand  these  things  ? 

4.    TJic  Heavenly  Witness  (iii.  9- 1 3). 

0-13.  Nicodemus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  How  can  these  things 
':■•?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  teacher  of  Israel, 
a  :f1  understandest  not  these  things?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  We 
Sj^eak  that  we  do  know,  and  bear  witness  of  that  we  have  seen  ;  and  ye  re- 


40  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  9-13. 

ceive  not  our  witness.  If  I  told  you  earthly  things,  and  ye  believe  not,  how 
shall  ye  believe,  if  I  tell  you  heavenly  things  .''  And  no  man  hath  ascended 
into  heaven,  but  he  that  descended  out  of  heaven,  even  the  Son  of  man, 
which  is  in  heaven. 

Thus  far  the  conversation  was  all  on  knowing  and 
knowledge.  Now  it  takes  a  new  turn  towards  faith.  He 
who  speaks  to  Nicodemus  is  not  a  teacher,  like  other 
men,  with  wisdom  gathered  from  the  fathers,  to  be  im- 
parted to  his  pupils.  He  speaks  as  a  heavenly  witness 
who  demands yV////^  He  does  knozv  heavenly  things  from 
personal  acquaintance,  as  the  only  begotten  Son  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  who  has  come  to  declare  them. 
The  glory  of  the  Son  of  Man  begins  to  beam  in  Nico- 
demus' eye.  "  In  heaven,"  "  out  of  heaven,"  "  into 
heaven,"  that  is  His  where?  whence?  whither?  But 
the  central  and  most  important  statement  at  this  point 
is  the  whence,  "  descended  out  of  heaven."  Here  is  the 
Lord's  answer  to  that  hidden  question  of  Nicodemus 
concerning  His  own  person,  which  had  been  indicated  in 
the  words  :  "  a  teacher  come  from  God."  He  reveals  to 
him  the  mystery  of  His  person,  and  insists  on  being  ac- 
cepted by  him  as  a  heavenly  witness.  At  a  later  period 
the  Lord  once  rebuked  the  colleagues  of  Nicodemus  and 
his  fellow-Pharisees :  "  Even  if  I  bear  witness  of  Myself, 
My  witness  is  true ;  for  I  know  whence  I  came  and 
whither  I  go,  but  ye  know  not  zvhenee  I  eoinc  or  whitJier 
I  go''  (ch.  viii.  14).  If  Nicodemus  will  now  open  his  ears, 
this  charge  will  not  apply  to  him. 

5.    The  Serpent  i)i  the  IJ^i/derness  (m.  14,  15). 

14,  15.  Andas  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  even  so 
must  the  Son  of  man  be  lifted  up  ;  that  whosoever  believeth  may  in  him 
have  eternal  life. 

So  far  it  was  the  testimony  of  the  Lord  concerning  His 


in.  14,  15.]  CHAPTER  III.  41 

person.  Now  for  His  testimony  concerning  His  work. 
It  is  all  told  in  the  simple  story  of  the  brazen  serpent. 
This  was,  no  doubt,  one  of  the  most  memorable  of  all 
the  experiences  during  Israel's  journey  through  the  wil- 
derness. Yea,  the  grateful  remembrance  of  it,  which 
they  carried  into  the  promised  land,  became  a  snare  to 
the  Israelites,  who  burned  incense  to  it  under  the  name 
Nehushtan,  so  that  Hezekiah,  in  his  work  of  reformation, 
had  to  break  it  in  pieces  (2  Kings  xviii.  4).  Was  there  a 
divination  of  the  deeper,  future  significance  of  this  figure 
in  the  inclination  of  Israel,  to  turn  it  into  an  idol  ?  Here 
is  the  meaning  of  the  type  unfolded  :  It  means  the  aton- 
ing and  redeeming  death  of  Christ  on  the  cross. 

The  brazen  serpent  was  the  image  of  the  fiery  serpents 
which  destroyed  the  people.  But,  however  much  alike, 
there  was  a  great  difference  between  them.  The  fiery 
serpents  full  of  deadly  poison  for  every  one  they  reached. 
The  brazen  serpent  without  poison,  harmless,  wholesome 
and  salutary  to  all  that  looked  to  it  in  faith.  But  as  the 
serpent  is  the  image  of  sin  and  its  consequences,  so  Christ, 
exalted  on  the  cross,  is  the  representative  of  the  sin  of  the 
world.  "  Him  who  knew  no  sin  he  made  to  be  sin  on  our 
behalf,  that  we  might  become  the  righteousness  of  God 
in  him  "  (2  Cor.  v.  21).  "  God,  sending  his  own  Son  in 
the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and  as  an  offering  for  sin,  con- 
demned sin  in  the  flesh  "  (Rom.  viii.  3).  In  Christ  the 
sin  of  the  world  presented  itself  for  judgment.  Christ 
became  a  curse  for  us,  as  it  is  written  :  "  Cursed  is  every 
one  that  hangeth  on  a  tree"  (Gal.  iii.  13).  The  brazen 
serpent  nailed  to  the  pole  is  the  picture  of  a  conquered 
serpent,  which  is  made  harmless.  This  is  what  was  done 
to  the  sin  of  the  world  in  Christ  on  the  cross.  The  fact 
that  He  was  there  made  sin  for  us,  and  suffered  the  pen- 
alty of  sin,  has  delivered  us  from  the  power  of  sin,  death 


42  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  i4-:6. 

and  the  devil.  He  that  hung  on  the  cross  in  the  Hkenes:; 
of  the  serpent,  thereby  bruised  the  head  of  the  serpent. 
Again,  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness  was  lifted  up  high 
above  everything  else,  so  that  an  unobstructed  view  of  it 
could  be  obtained  by  all  that  were  bitten.  Thus  God  has 
openly  set  forth  Christ  crucified  to  be  "  a  propitiation 
through  faith  by  His  blood."  Christ,  the  crucified  one, 
is  to  be  known,  to  be  seen  from  one  end  of  this  sin  and 
death-stricken  world  to  the  other. 

And  lastly :  Those  that  looked  to  the  brazen  serpent 
were  saved.  There  is  hardly,  in  all  the  Scriptures,  a 
more  expressive  picture  of  faith  than  this  looking  to  the 
serpent  lifted  up  on  the  pole.  How  simple  this  means  of 
salvation  !  However  far  off  from  the  brazen  serpent, 
however  deeply  wounded  by  the  venomous  bites,  how- 
ever weak  and  unable  to  move,  to  run  away  or  keep  ofT 
the  destroyer, — a  look  to  the  pole,  tJiat  was  still  possible 
to  all.  Such  is  God's  way  of  faith.  No  effort  of  our 
own,  no  work,  no  struggle,  no  sacrifice  of  man,  but  a 
simple  trusting,  confident  looking  to  Jesus,  the  Son  of 
Man,  lifted  up  on  the  cross — that  is  all!  It  is  salvation 
for  all. 

6.    The  Father  s  Love  the  Headspring  of  Salvation  (iii.  i6). 

i6.  For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son, 
that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  eternal  life. 

The  following  verses  (16-21)  have  been  considered  by 
some  (Erasmus,  Tholuck  and  others)  as  not  belonging  to 
the  dialogue  between  the  Lord  and  Nicodemus.  but 
simply  as  reflections  or  meditations  of  the  Evangelist  on 
the  subjects  mentioned  in  that  conversation.  But  wc 
cannot  share  this  theory.  There  is  no  break,  but  rather 
the  closest   connection  between  ver.  15  and  16;  the  con- 


III.  1 6.]  CHAPTER  J I  I.  43 

versation  would  be  without  a  proper  conclusion  if  it  should 
stop  at  this  point,  and  we  are  not  willing  to  take  that 
jewel  of  Scripture  passages,  the  i6th  verse,  "the  Bible  in 
brief"  (as  Luther  calls  it),  out  of  the  Lord's  own  mouth. 
This  revelation  of  the  eternal  counsel  of  salvation  must 
be  the  direct  word  of  the  only  begotten  Son  Himself, 
who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  (i.  i8).  From  the 
Spirit,  who  is  the  author  of  regeneration,  to  the  Son  who 
mediates  and  purchases  our  salvation  with  His  atone- 
ment, we  now  come  to  the  Father,  whose  love  gave  the 
Son  for  the  life  of  the  World.  God  loved,  as  the  light 
must  light,  and  the  fire  must  burn,  so  God  loves.  This 
is  His  nature,  for  God  is.  love.  But  :  God  loved  the 
world !  we  have  often  read  and  passed  and  recited  it 
thoughtlessly.  It  seems  natural,  as  long  as  we  do  not 
realize  what  sin  is,  and  a  world  in  sin  !  But  when  this 
begins  to  dawn  upon  our  mind  there  is  nothing  greater 
in  heaven  and  upon  earth  than  this:  "God  so  loved  the 
world  !  "  Who  will  take  the  measure  of  this  love,  its 
breadth  and  length  and  height  and  depth?  Who  will 
realize  the  character  and  manner  of  this  love?  so  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son, — mark,  the  "Son  of  Man," 
of  whom  the  Lord  had  spoken  before,  is  identical  with  the 
Son  of  God.  He  was  given  by  the  Father,  not  simply  to 
the  world,  hxxi  for  the  world,  given  into  death  !  For  this 
love  of  God  is  a  holy  love,  and  though  it  could  command 
all  the  resources  of  God's  omnipotence,  wisdom  and  maj- 
esty, still  it  could  not  save  the  world  without  satisfying 
His  justice  by  giving  the  Beloved  into  judgment  and 
death  for  the  sin  of  the  world.  Mark  also  the  universal- 
ity of  this  love.  The  world  is  its  object.  We  dare  not 
limit  this  to  an  "  elect  world."  That  would  be  the  very 
opposite  of  what  John  means  by  the  term  "  world."  Tl  e 
Gospel  of  John   repeatedly  emphasizes  the  world  ^xi^  th? 


44  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  i6,  17. 

object  of  God's  gifts  and  God's  plan  of  salvation.  The 
Bread  of  God  giveth  life  unto  the  world  (vi.  33) ;  the  bread 
which  I  will  give  is  My  flesh,  for  the  life  of  the  world 
(vi.  51).  There  is  only  one  limit  to  this  salvation;  it  is 
the  condition  ol  faith.  This  love  of  God  in  Christ  must 
be  believed  in,  it  must  be  accepted,  appropriated  by 
thankful  and  appreciative  hearts.  How  many  out  of  this 
perishing  world  will  have  their  souls  saved  on  this  con- 
dition ?  How  many  in  proportion  to  the  multitude  of 
Israelites  who,  in  the  wilderness,  looked  up  to  the  serpent 
to  save  their  bodies  ? 

7.  Salvation,  not  Judgment,  the  Mission  of  the  So)i  of  God 

(iii.  17). 

17.  For  God  sent  not  the  Son  into  the  world  to  judge  the  world;  but  that 
the  world  should  be  saved  through  him. 

While  we  say  in  the  creed  that  He  shall  come  to  judge 
the  quick  and  the  dead,  we  believe  that  He  zvas  sent  to 
save,  not  to  judge.  So  the  Lord  had  once  said  to  John 
and  James,  those  fiery  sons  of  thunder,  in  that  Samaritan 
village,  "  The  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them."  All  this  was  certainly  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  Pharisaic  programme  of  the  Messiah's 
kingdom.  There  the  judgment  of  the  Gentiles  was  one 
of  the  most  glorious  features  in  the  coming  of  the  Mes- 
siah ;  while  the  Jews  would  be  heirs  to  that  kingdom,  as 
the  descendants  of  Abraham  and  the  keepers  of  the  law 
of  Moses.  But  there  is  no  distinction  made  here  in  this 
"world"  which  the  Son  says,  He  was  sent  to  save. 
Nicodemus  is  counted  in,  and  all  the  Pharisees  are  counted 
in  ;  and  sinners  down  to  the  thief  on  the  cross,  together 
with  all  the  Sadducees  and  publicans — only  one  way  for 
all  to  be  saved  :  ye  must  be  born  anew  ;  ye  must  believe  ! 
Not  what  man  is  or  does,  but  the  labor,  service  and  sacri- 


III.  17-19.]  CHAPTER  III.  45 

fice  of  the  true  God  Himself,  in  the  person  of  Christ,  is 
the  sah^ation  for  Jews  and  Gentiles. 

8.    The  Present  Judgnunit  iueurred  by  Unbelievers 
(iii.  18,  19). 

19.  He  that  believeth  on  him  is  not  judged  :  he  that  believeth  not  hath 
been  judged  already,  because  he  hath  not  beheved  on  the  name  of  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God.  And  this  is  the  judgment,  that  the  light  is  come 
into  the  world,  and  men  loved  the  darkness  rather  than  the  light ;  for  their 
works  were  evil. 

But  though  this  first  advent  of  the  Messiah  is  a  time 
of  grace,  to  save,  not  to  destroy,  there  is  at  the  same 
time  a  quiet  inner  judgment  going  on  among  men. 
Seasons  of  grace  are  critical  times,  when  men  must  decide 
to  accept  or  refuse  what  is  offered  by  God's  love.  The 
refusal  of  him  that  believeth  not,  cuts  him  off  from  that 
love  and  its  communion  ;  it  is  suicidal,  a  judgment  passed 
by  himself.  It  comes  with  internal  necessity  upon  every 
one  that  believeth  not.  It  is  no  outward  act,  but  an  in- 
ward development.  What  can  save  a  man  if  he  will  not 
admit  the  one  physician  and  take  his  medicine?  This 
certainly  is  a  crisis,  a  decision,  division  and  judgment : 
The  light  cometh  into  this  world  to  dispel  its  darkness, 
to  deliver  men  out  of  the  power  of  darkness  and  translate 
them  into  the  kingdom  of  God, — but  men  loved  the  dark- 
ness rather  than  the  light.  Such  is  man's  love  over 
against  God's  love.  God  so  loved  the  world  that  He 
gave  His  only  begotten  Son — men  so  loved  the  darkness 
that  they  would  not  come  to  the.  light,  yea,  that  they 
would  hate  the  light. 

9.    The  Climax  and  the  Parting  Word  to  Nicodemus 

(iii.   20,  21). 

20,  21.  For  every  one  that  doeth  ill  hateth  the  light,  and  cometh  not  to  the 
light,  lest  his  works  should  be  reproved.     But  he  that  doeth  the  truth  com- 


45  THE  GOSPEL  OF  Sr.  JOHN.  [111.20,21. 

eth  to  the  light,  that  his  works  may  be  made  manifest,  tliatthey  have  been 
wrought  in  God. 

It  is  a  fearful  climax  with  which  the  Lord  unveils  be- 
fore Nicodemus  the  danger  of  holding  back  from  the  light. 
The  light  is  come.  Men  love  darkness  rather  than  light. 
They  do  not  come  to  the  light.  They  hate  the  light  ! 
Nicodemus  hears  and  shudders.  Hating  the  light !  Is  it 
possible  that  it  should  ever  come  to  that  ?  No,  not  with 
him.  He  never  had  such  an  idea.  And  yet  if  he  will  not 
accept  the  testimony  of  this  witness,  if  he  will  go  on  with 
his:  But  and  How — if  he  will  not  decide  to  come  out 
fully  into  the  light,  where  will  it  end  with  him  ? 

Mark  also  the  reason  of  this  aversion  to  the  light  which 
the  Lord  points  out  so  emphatically.  It  is  because  men's 
zi'orks  arc  evil,  because  they  practise  ill,  because  they  will 
not  have  their  works  reproved  !  Here  is  the  moral  root 
of  unbelief.  These  strong  words  of  our  Lord  must  not 
be  limited  to  open  and  gross  immoralities  ;  they  include 
all  the  respectability  of  a  Phariseean  life  with  its  self- 
sufficiency  and  self-adoration,  its  desire  to  take  honor  and 
glory  from  men.  These  are  among  those  besetting  sins 
which  become  the  habit  and  practice  of  an  outwardly  de- 
cent life,  but  they  are  (faola,  vile,  rotten,  good-for-nothing 
things,  unable  to  bring  forth  abiding  fruit  for  eternity. 
And  they  must  be  reproved.  And  men  must  humbly 
submit  to  such  reproof.  The  way  of  faith  leads  through 
repentance. 

Severe  as  all  this  was  for  the  ears  of  a  Nicodemus — and 
it  was  all  meant  for  him — the  Lord  after  all  gives  him  a 
parting  word  of  encouragement  (ver.  2 1)  of  "  coming  to  the 
light,  being  made  manifest,  having  works  wrought  in 
God."  As  the  Lord  spoke  on,  Nicodemus  had  not  an- 
other word  to  say.  He  sat  in  silent  submission  under 
those  heavy  blows,  which  shattered    to  pieces  his  whole 


III.  20-22.]  CHAPTER  III.  47 

former  life  ;  he  sat  and  wondered  at  the  man  before  him, 
and  the  love  of  which  He  spoke  and  the  power  of  darkness 
to  resist  such  love.  And  yet  he  was  not  quite  ready  to 
surrender  to  it.  It  was  a  good  thing  to  come  to  the 
Lord,  to  sit  under  His  teaching.  But  he  must  not  be 
ashamed  to  come  to  the  Light,  to  submit  to  His  reproof, 
to  yield  to  His  love.  He  must  reach  a  decision  !  But 
the  time  has  come  for  parting.  John  does  not  tell  us  how 
they  parted,  or  what  was  the  exact  state  of  Nicodemus' 
mind  in  that  hour.  Did  he  come  again  ?  Were  there 
more  conversations  between  him  and  the  Lord  ?  Even 
to  this  there  is  no  answer.  Certainly  the  Lord  could  not 
tell  him  more  than  what  he  received  on  this  first  visit, — 
it  was  enough  for  a  life-time  to  study  out.  But  as  he 
walked  away  through  the  lonely  streets  of  the  city,  the 
Lord's  "  Peace  be  with  thee  "  ringing  in  his  ears,  and  the 
night  wind  fanning  his  burning  head,  two  things  were 
weighing  heaviest  of  all  upon  his  struggling  soul,  those 
two  absolute  "  musts  "  in  the  discourse  of  the  Lord  :  "  Ye 
must  be  born  again,"  and  "  The  Son  of  Man  viiist  be 
lifted  up." 

Vn.  Jesus  in  Jud^a  and  the  Last  Testimony  of 
John  the  Baptist  (iii.  22-36). 

I.  Jesus  in  Judcea  (iii.  22-24). 

22-24.  After  these  things  came  Jesus  and  his  disciples  into  the  land  of 
Judaea;  and  there  he  tarried  with  them,  and  baptized.  And  John  also  was 
baptizing  in  .-Enon  near  to  Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there  ;  and 
they  came  and  were  baptized.      For  John  was  not  yet  cast  into  prison. 

After  His  first  public  appearance  in  Jerusalem  and  the 
conversation  with  Nicodemus,  the  Lord  retires  for  a  time 
from  the  city  into  the  province  of  Judasa.  And  even  in 
the  character  of  His  work  there  seems  to  be  something 


48  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  22-25. 

like  a  retreat.  He  seems  to  step  down  to  do  the  same 
work  which  His  forerunner,  John  the  Baptist,  was  called 
to  do,  and  the  result  of  the  two  men  in  the  same  region 
doing  essentially  the  same  work,  is  a  collision  in  the  mind 
of  the  disciples  of  John,  which  forms  the  occasion  for 
their  master's  last  testimony  of  Christ.  The  locality  and 
the  time  are  distinctly  given  in  these  verses.  J^\\or\.  is 
probably  the  same  as  Ain  in  Jos.  xv.  32,  in  the  south  of 
the  wilderness  of  Judah,  on  this  side  of  the  Jordan  (while 
the  former  locality  of  John's  baptizing  was  beyond  the 
river).  Concerning  the  time  it  is  distinctly  stated,  that  it 
was  before  John's  imprisonment.  This  is  evidently  said 
with  a  view  to  the  Synoptical  account  of  the  beginning  of 
the  Lord's  public  ministry  in  Galilee.  It  corrects  not  the 
statement  itself,  as  found  in  the  Synoptists  (Matt.  iv.  12), 
but  the  possible  misunderstanding  that  the  Galilean  work 
began  immediately  after  the  baptism  and  temptation  of 
Christ. 


2.    TJie  Occasion  for  the  Last  Testimony  of  the  Baptist 
(iii.  25,  26). 

25-26.  There  arose  therefore  a  questioning  on  the  part  of  John's  disciples 
with  a  Jew  about  purifying.  And  they  came  unto  John,  and  said  to  him, 
Rabbi,  he  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  thou  hast  borne 
witness,  behold,  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to  him. 

There  were  men  among  the  disciples  of  the  Baptist  un- 
able and  unwilling  to  see  the  difference  between  John 
and  Christ,  and,  even  now,  not  ready  to  believe  their 
master  and  to  follow  Christ  as  Andrew  and  his  companions 
had  done.  They  were  inclined  to  see  the  preparation 
for  the  kingdom  of  God  in  strict  asceticism.  They  were 
in  this  respect  more  on  the  side  of  the  Pharisees  than  of 
Jesus  :  "  We    and  the  Pharisees  fast  oft  ;    but  thy   dis- 


III.  25-27.]  CHAPTER  III.  49 

ciples  fast  not  "  (Matt.  ix.  14).^  They  would  naturally 
look  upon  the  work  of  Jesus  so  near  the  Baptist  with  jeal- 
ousy and  consider  it  unkind  and  an  interference  with 
the  office  of  their  master.  This  feeling  of  jealousy  and 
irritation  was  further  stirred  up  by  a  Jew  or  Jews,  probably 
belonging  to  the  ruling  party,  telling  the  disciples  of 
John  in  a  mischievous  manner  of  the  remarkable  success 
of  Jesus.-  They  come  and  complain  to  their  Master,  and 
without  entering  into  the  particular  question  which  had 
arisen,  he  goes  to  the  principles  underlying  their  difficulty 
and  shows  them  his  true  relation  to  Christ,  with  a  severe 
rebuke,  to  the  unbelief  of  God's  chosen  people,  including 
his  own  disciples. 

3.    The  Last  Testimony  of  the  Baptist  (iii.  27-36). 
{a.)  Christ  and  the  Baptist  (27-30). 

27-30.  John  answered  and  said,  A  man  can  receive  nothing,  except  it 
have  been  given  him  from  heaven.  Ye  yourselves  bear  me  witness,  that  I 
said,  I  am  not  the  Christ,  but,  that  I  am  sent  before  him.  He  that  hath  a 
bride  is  a  bridegroom :  but  the  friend  of  the  bridegroom,  which  standeth 
and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth  greatly  because  of  the  bridegroom's  voice:  this 
my  joy  therefore  is  fulfilled.     He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease. 

He  opens  with  a  broad,  general  principle  which  must 
be  recognized  in  the  history  of  God's  kingdom.  Every 
man  has  his  place  and  work  assigned  to  him,  whether  it 
be  Christ  or  John.  From  the  beginning  he  had  clearly 
told  his  disciples  that  he  was  not  the  Christ,  that  he  held 
an  inferior  position.  He  is  therefore  not  responsible  for 
this  petty  jealousy  of  his  followers.  Instead  of  com- 
plaining, they  should  rather  rejoice  that  the  bridegroom 
hasappeared,  and  that  the  bride,  forsaking  everything  else, 

^  Even   at   the   time   of   the   writing  of  this  Gospel   there  was  a  sect  of 
"Disciples  of  John  "  extant  in  Asia  Minor. 
4 


50  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [in.  27-30. 

is  looking  to  the  Lord  and  husband.  Thus  even  John 
the  Baptist  invites  his  sullen  disciples  to  the  marriage 
feast  of  the  new  covenant.  And  the  sweetest  and  greatest 
name  he  bears,  and  of  which  he  may  be  justly  proud,  is 
not  *'  the  prophet,"  or  "  the  messenger  "  or  "  the  voice 
crying  in  the  wilderness  "  but  "  the  friend  of  the  Bride- 
groom." There  is  no  jealousy  between  the  two  Johns, 
the  Evangelist  and  the  Baptist.  The  John  who  wrote 
this,  the  disciple  whom  the  Lord  loved,  who  was  on  the 
bosom  of  Jesus,  rejoices  in  the  name  "  friend  of  the 
Bridegroom,"  which  the  other  John  claims  for  himself. 
The  Baptist  sums  up  the  relation  between  Christ  and 
himself  in  another  pointed,  comprehensive  sentence  which 
not  only  describes  most  beautifully  and  truly  the  official 
relation  between  the  Messiah  and  His  forerunner,but  again 
lays  down  a  principle  of  far-reaching  importance  in  God's 
kingdom.  "He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease."^ 
It  rounds  off  and  supplements  most  beautifully  the  sen- 
tence with  which  he  had  opened  this  explanation  (ver.  27). 
It  ought  to  be  the  motto  of  every  true  servant  of  Christ. 
It  is  the  common  human  experience  of  all,  that  after  a 
period  of  growth  and  increase  w^e  must  make  room  for 
others  that  come  after  us.  Nor  will  they  stay  forever. 
The  same  decrease  must  follow  their  increase.  It  is  a 
bitter  experience  as  long  as  man  only  looks  to  man,  and 
the  worn-out  weary  worker  must  yield  his  place  to  fresh 
and  youthful  forces.  But  it  becomes  sweet  and  blessed 
if  our  yielding  is  to  Him,  whose  kingdom  has  no  end, 
and  for  whom  to  lose  and  give  up  everything  is 
gain. 

1  Cf.  the  ancient  and  significant  arrangement  of  the  Church  by  which  the 
birthday  of  the  Baptist  is  celebrated  in  midsummer  (June  24th),  when  the 
days  begin  to  decrease  j  the  birthday  of  Christ  in  midwinter,  when  they 
begin  to  increase, 


1 1 1 .  3 1  -36-  ]  CJIA  r  TER  III.  5 1 

{b)  Christ  and  the  World (\\\.  t^i-^G). 

31-36.  He  that  cometh  from  above  is  above  all ;  he  that  is  of  the  earth 
is  of  the  earth,  and  of  the  earth  he  speaketli :  he  that  cometh  from  lieavea 
js  above  all.  What  he  hath  seen  and  heard,  of  that  he  beareth  witness; 
and  no  man  receiveth  his  witness.  He  that  hath  received  his  witness  hath 
set  his  seal  to  t/iis,  that  God  is  true.  For  he  whom  God  hath  sent  speak- 
eth  the  words  of  God  :  for  he  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by  measure.  The 
Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand.  He  that 
believeth  on  the  Son  hath  eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  obeyeth  not  the  Son 
shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him. 

At  this  point  in  the  testimony  of  the  Baptist  a  similar 
question  is  raised  by  a  number  of  commentators  (Bengel, 
Tholuck,  Olshausen  and  others),  to  that  in  connection 
with  the  conversation  with  Nicodemus  in  the  i6th 
verse  of  this  chapter,  viz.,  whether  the  following  verses 
are  to  be  regarded  as  a  continuation  of  the  words  spoken 
by  the  Baptist,  or  as  the  statement  of  the  Evangelist. 
We  are  decidedly  in  favor  of  the  former  view.  It  is  the 
conclusion  of  the  Baptist's  testimony  concerning  Christ's 
position  and  reception  in  this  world. 

Let  us  mark  the  following  prominent  points  in  this 
section  :  (i.)  The  absolute  dignity  and  majesty  of  Christ, 
whom  John  the  Baptist  has  placed  so  high  above  himself. 
He  cometh  from  above  ;  He  is  above  all,  even  all  the 
prophets  and  servants  of  God  sent  before.  (2.)  Next  : 
The  foundation  and  charaetcr  of  His  testimony  ;  its  direct- 
ness and  authority.  He  speaks  as  a  witness,  in  the 
highest  sense  of  the  word,  of  that  which  He  hath  seen 
and  heard  as  the  Lord  Himself  had  said  to  Nicode- 
mus :  "  We  speak  that  we  do  know  and  bear  witness  of 
what  we  have  seen."  (3.)  Again  :  The  deep  insight  of  the 
Baptist  into  the  reception  with  which  this  witness  meets 
on  the  part  of  men.  "  No  man  receiveth  His  wit- 
ness." This  certainly  is  in  direct  opposition  to  what  his 
disciples  had  just  been   telling  him,  "  All  men  come  to 


52  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [iii.  31-36. 

Him  "  (ver,  26).  But  their  master  is  more  sober  and  criti- 
cal in  his  judgment  of  the  popularity  enjoyed  by  the 
Lord.  He  knows  that  it  is  one  thing  "  to  come  to  Hivi^' 
outwardly,  attracted  by  His  word  and  signs,  as  the 
masses  were  at  that  time  even  in  Judaea, — and  another 
thing  to  receive  His  testimony,  with  a  humble,  believing 
heart.  This  bitter  complaint  is  following  us  all  through 
this  Gospel :  1.  5,  the  darkness  apprehended  not  the 
Light;  i.  10,  the  world  knew  Him  not;  i.  11,  His  own 
received  Him  not  ;  i.  26,  in  the  midst  of  you  standeth  One 
whom  ye  know  not ;  iii.  11,  ye  receive  not  our  witness. 
(4.)  Still  the  Baptist  viust  modify  his  general  sweeping 
statement,  as  the  Evangelist  did  (i.  12 — as  many  as  re- 
ceived Him,  etc.);  he  testifies  himself  (ver.  33) :  He  that 
hath  received  this  zvitness  hath  set  his  seal  to  this,  that 
God  is  true.  While  the  New  Testament  otherwise  speaks 
of  God  setting  His  seal  upon  His  own  people, ^  the  Baptist 
here  speaks  of  the  believers  as  setting  their  seal  upon 
their  Saviour's  testimony,  that  God  is  true  !  As  Paul 
says :  "  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed,"  and  again  :  (2 
Cor.  1.  20) — "  How  many  soever  be  the  promises  of  God, 
in  him  is  the  yea  :  wherefore  also  through  him  is  the 
Amen,  unto  the  glory  of  God  through  us."  The  reverse 
of  this  is  what  John  has  written  in  his  first  Epistle  (v. 
10),  "  He  that  believeth  not  God  hath  made  Him  a  liar." 
(5.)  But  the  believer  s  trust  in  this  testimony  rests  on 
safe  ground :  "  For  He  whom  God  hath  sent  speaketh 
the  words  of  God :  for  He  giveth  not  the  Spirit  by 
measure."  The  speaker  in  this  case  is  the  Logos,  who 
declareth  the  Father  and  speaketh  the  words  of  God, 
He  to  whom  the  Spirit  is  given  Avithout  limitation,  "  not 
by  measure,"  ever  since  the  Baptist   "  beheld  the  Spirit 

1  Cf.  2  Cor.  i.  22,  God,  who  also  sealed  us  and  gave  us  the  earnest  of  the 
Spirit  in  our  hearts. 


III.  31-36.]  •        CHAPTER  HI.  53 

descending  as  a  dove  out  of  heaven,  and  it  abode  upon 
Him."  And  still  another  reminiscence  of  the  Lord's 
baptism  follows  in  the  next  verse  :  "  The  Father  loveth 
the  Son."  There  John  had  heard  the  voice  out  of  the 
heavens  saying:  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I 
am  well  pleased."  He  is  sure  to  gain  the  victory,  for 
"  the  Father  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand."  (6.) 
And  now  the  last  parting  word  of  the  Baptist  in  this 
Gospel:  (ver.  36,)  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son,  hath 
eternal  life  ;  but  he  that  obcyeth  (believeth)  not  the  Son 
shall  not  see  life,  but  the  wrath  of  God  abidcth  on  him. 
It  is  the  same  dilemma  that  we  found  in  the  conversation 
with  Nicodemus,  and  in  fact  everywhere  throughout  the 
Scriptures,  life  or  death,  the  love  and  grace  of  God  or 
the  wrath  of  God,  salvation  or  perishing,  and  the  decision 
altogether  hanging  on  faith,  either  believing  on  the  Son, 
or  not  believing,  refusing  obedience  to  Him,  into  whose 
hands  the  Father  has  given  all  things  !  Either  eternal 
life  for  him  who  believes,  or  the  wrath  of  God  which 
abideth  on  him,  not  the  manifestation  of  temporary  and 
passing  judgments,  such  as  Israel  had  experienced  time 
and  again  ;  but  the  final,  irrevocable,  abiding  wrath,  on 
him  that  rejects  the  Son.  This  is  the  last  solemn  Avarn- 
ing  and  testimony  of  the  Baptist  to  his  people,  reminding 
us  strongly  of  that  first  preaching  of  his  (Matt.  iii.  12), 
"He  will  gather  his  wheat  into  the  garner;  but  the 
chaff  he  will  burn  up  with  unquenchable  fire,"  and  of  the 
closing  words  of  that  Messianic  Psalm, ^  "  Kiss  the  Son, 
lest  he  be  angry  and  ye  perish  from  the  way,  when  his 
wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little.  Blessed  are  all  they  that 
put  their  trust  in  him  "  (Ps.  ii.  12). 

^  The  Christmas  Psalm  of  the  ancient  Church. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

This  chapter  also  continues  the  history  of  the  quiet  and 
modest  beginnings  of  faith  here  and  there,  which,  as  said 
before,  form  the  theme  of  the  first  four  chapters.  After 
the  Lord's  beginnings  in  Jerusalem  and  Judea  (ch.  i,  2, 
3),  it  is  now  Samaritan  faith  and  Galilean  faith  which 
the  Evangelist  describes  in  the  direct  continuation  of  his 
narrative. 

VIII.  Samaritan  Faith  (iv.  1-42). 

I.  Historical  Introduction  (iv.  1-6). 

1-6.  When  therefore  the  Lord  knew  how  that  the  Pharisees  had  heard 
that  Jesus  was  making  and  baptizing  more  disciples  than  John  (although 
Jesus  himself  baptized  not,  but  his  disciples),  he  left  Judaea,  and  departed 
again  into  Galilee.  And  he  must  needs  pass  through  Samaria.  So  he  com- 
eth  to  a  city  of  Samaria,  called  Sychar,  near  to  the  parcel  of  ground  that 
Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph  :  and  Jacob's  well  was  there.  Jesus  therefore, 
being  wearied  with  his  journey,  sat  thus  by  the  well.  It  was  about  the 
sixth  hour. 

The  connection  between  this  and  the  preceding  chapter 
is  close,  though  several  months  elapsed  between  the 
Lord's  retirement  from  Jerusalem  and  His  departure  for 
Galilee.  We  saw  how  He  withdrew  from  the  capital 
into  the  province  of  Judaea.  Now  comes  a  further  retreat 
from  Judsea  into  Galilee.  The  reason  for  this  is  given  in 
the  first  two  verses  of  the  chapter.  The  Lord  (with  em- 
phasis this  title,  which  is  not  frequently  used  in  the 
Gospels ;  much  more  so  in  the  Epistles)  knew  that  the 
Pharisees  had  heard  of  the  remarkable  increase  in  the 
number  of  His  disciples;  He  knew  also  the  spirit  with 
54 


IV.  1-6.]  CHAPTER  IV.  55 

which  they  would  notice  it,  the  excitement  and  jealousy 
it  would  create.  And  as  He  was  unwilling  to  provoke  a 
conflict  with  them  at  this  time,  He  left  Judaea.  This 
move  then  means  a  further  retirement,  a  temporary  sus- 
pension even,  of  His  public  work,  which  in  Judnea  had 
chiefly  consisted  in  preaching.  Jesus  Himself  baptized 
not,  but  His  disciples.  The  reason  for  this  was  either 
because  He  "  Himself  had  to  bring  the  Messianic  baptism 
of  the  Spirit,  which  was  only  a  fact  of  the  future " 
(Luthardt),  or  for  the  simple,  practical  reason,  that  those 
who  would  have  received  baptism  from  Him  in  person 
should  not  be  elated  thereby  as  having  received  some- 
thing more  and  better  than  the  others.  (For  a  similar 
reason  even  Paul  says  that  he  would  rather  not  baptize 
but  preach  the  Gospel,  i  Cor.  i.  14.) 

On  His  way  to  Galilee  He  must  needs  pass  through 
Samaria.  The  strictest  Jews  avoided  the  passage  through 
that  province,  preferring  the  round-about  way  through 
Peraea,  the  country  east  of  the  river  Jordan.  And  of  the 
Lord  Himself  it  is  said  (Luke  xvii,.  ii),  that  on  His  way 
from  Galilee  to  Jerusalem  He  was  passing  betivccn  Sama- 
ria and  Galilee  (probably  the  correct  translation  of  Snjp^ero). 
Compare  His  injunction  to  the  Apostles  on  the  first  send- 
ing forth  of  the  Twelve  :  "  Go  not  into  any  way  of  the 
Gentiles,  and  enter  not  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans  ; 
but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel." 
Remembering  all  this  and  the  statement  here,  "  He  must 
needs  go,"  it  is  fair  to  say,  that  Samaria  was  not  on  the 
programme  of  His  journey,  not  even  as  a  way  station. 
He  had  been  forced  to  depart  without  loss  of  time.  He 
had  to  take  the  shortest  route  and  consequently  "  must 
needs  pass  through  Samaria."  The  two  days'  sojourn  in 
that  country  was,  if  we  might  say  so,  an  unexpected 
episode. 


56  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [iv.  1-6. 

For  information  about  the  history  of  the  Samaritans 
we  have  to  turn  to  2  Kings  xvii.  24-41.  After  the  de- 
struction of  the  Northern  kingdom,  the  king  of  Assyria 
sent  colonists  from  Babylon  and  other  places,  to  possess 
the  cities  of  Samaria.  They  were  a  mixture  of  national- 
ities and  of  religions.  "  They  feared  the  Lord  and  served 
their  own  gods."  After  the  return  of  the  Jews  from 
exile,  the  Samaritans  offered  their  co-operation  in  the 
rebuilding  of  the  temple,^  and  being  refused  they  used 
every  possible  influence  with  the  king  of  Persia  to  oppose 
the  building  of  the  temple  in  Jerusalem,  while  they  built 
their  own  on  Mount  Gerizim.  Manasse,  their  first  high- 
priest,  was  the  son-in-law  of  the  Persian  governor  San- 
ballat.  This  temple  was  destroyed  200  years  afterwards 
by  Joannes  Hyrkanus.  The  bitter  hostility  of  the  Jews 
against  the  Samaritans  is  chiefly  due  to  this.  Their  char- 
acter was  a  Paganism  under  the  mask  of  Judaism.  There- 
fore they  were  to  the  Jews  a  greater  abomination  even 
than  the  Gentiles.  Robinson  (Palest.  III.  328),  says  that 
this  relation  continues  essentially  the  same  to  the  present 
day.  The  Samaritans  will  neither  cat  nor  drink,  nor  in- 
termarry, nor  have  any  intercourse  with  the  Jews,  except 
for  business  or  trade.    (Cf.  Ecclesiasticus  1.  27,  28). 

The  place  to  which  the  Lord  came  was  not  the  site  of 
ancient  Samaria  itself,  which  was  about  7  to  8  miles 
further  north,  but  Shechem,  with  which  Sychar  is  iden- 
tical, the  in  and  n  frequently  changing  into  r  as  in  Achar, 
LXX.,for  Achan  ;  Bar  instead  of  Ben.  (Others:  Sychar, 
the  town  of  lying  and  intoxication^  The  present  name 
of  Shechem  is  Nablus,  but  the  site  of  this  place  has  moved 
somewhat  to  the  west  of  ancient  Shechem.  Jacob's  well 
is  still  found  at  the  entrance  into  the  narrow  valley  where 

1  Ezra  iv. ;  Neh.  iv. ;  the  scoffing  Samaritans  under  Sanballat. 


IV.  7-15]  CHAPTER  IV.  57 

Mt.    Ebal  (on   the   N.   E.),  and  Mount  Gerizim  (S.  W.), 
confront  each  other. 

The  Lord  reached  this  place  at  noon-tide,  and  while 
the  disciples,  perhaps  with  the  exception  of  John  (Peter 
and  James?)  went  to  the  city  to  buy  food,  He  sat  down 
by  the  well,  weary  and  exhausted  from  the  journey. 

2.  The  Conversation  with  the  Samaritan  Woinan  {xv.  7-26). 
{a.)    The  Living  JVater  {\v.  7-15)- 

7-15.  There  Cometh  a  woman  of  Samaria  to  draw  water:  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Give  me  to  driuk.  P"or  his  disciples  were  gone  away  into  the  city 
to  buy  food.  The  Samaritan  woman  therefore  saith  unto  him,  How  is  it 
that  thou,  being  a  Jew,  askest  drink  of  me,  which  am  a  Samaritan  woman? 
(For  Jews  have  no  dealings  with  Samaritans.)  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  her.  If  thou  knewest  the  gift  of  God,  and  who  it  is  that  saith  to  thee, 
Give  me  to  drink;  thou  wouldest  have  asked  of  him,  and  he  would  have 
given  thee  living  water.  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  thou  hast  nothing 
to  draw  with,  and  the  well  is  deep  :  from  whence  then  hast  thou  that  living 
water?  Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  well, 
and  drank  thereof  himself,  and  his  sons,  and  his  cattle  ?  Jesus  answered 
and  said  unto  her,  Every  one  that  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst  again: 
but  whosoever  drinketh  of  the  svater  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  never 
thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall  give  him  shall  become  in  him  a  well  of 
water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life.  The  woman  saith  unto  him.  Sir,  give 
me  this  water,  that  I  thirst  not,  neither  come  all  the  way  hither  to  draw. 

It  was  a  region  of  holy  and  suggestive  reminiscences 
on  which  the  eye  of  the  Lord  rested  as  He  sat  there. 
Here  the  Patriarchs  had  waited  for  the  promise  ;  here 
Jacob  had  dug  the  well,  a  testimony  of  his  firm,  deep- 
rooted  trust  in  his  good  title  as  possessor  of  the  promised 
land  ;  here  Joseph  was  buried;  here  from  these  mountains 
of  Ebal  and  Gerizim  the  solemn  words  of  curse  and  bless- 
ing had  been  spoken  over  Israel ;  ^  but  here  also  was  the 
home  of  the  dismemberment  of  the  body  of  Israel, — what 
spiritual  desolation  and  idolatry!  The  believing  father's 
1  Joshua  viii.  ;^y 


58  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i v.  7-15. 

name  used  to  hide  the  shame  of  strange  children  ;  and 
Israel  itself,  was  it  better  than  these  mongrel  Samaritans? 
Was  not  Jeremiah's  word  true  even  at  that  time  :  "  They 
have  forsaken  me,  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  and  hewed 
them  out  cisterns,  broken  cisterns,  that  can  hold  no 
water  "  ?  (Jer.  ii.  13). 

Thus  Jesus  sat  by  the  well  and  there  cometh  a  woman 
of  Samaria  (a  Samaritan  woman)  to  draw  water.  Jesus 
saith  unto  her:  "Give  me  to  drink."  The  need  of  His 
true  human  body  prompted  this  word  ;  but  in  speaking  it 
He  was  boldly  reaching  over  the  barrier  which  separated 
Jews  and  Samaritans  ;  ^  He  gave  utterance  to  that  deepest 
yearning  of  His  heart,  thirsting  for  the  salvation  of  im- 
mortal souls,  for  which  He  would  willingly  give  up  His 
night's  sleep  to  Nicodemus  and  His  noonday  rest  to  the 
Samaritan  woman. 

Ignoring  her  little  way  of  tantalizing  the  Jew,  who  con- 
descends to  ask  a  Samaritan  woman  for  a  drink,  the  Lord 
at  once  proceeds  to  speak  to  her  of  something  greater 
and  better  than  this  drink  of  water ; — indeed  it  does  not 
appear  that  the  Lord  ever  got  the  drink  He  asked  for, 
until  the  woman  went  away  to  the  city,  leaving  her 
waterpot  standing  by  the  well. 

^'  If  thou  knevvest  the  gift  of  God''  To  know,  to 
recognize  the  gift  of  God  in  the  sphere  of  nature  is  one 
of  the  primary  links  to  bind  man  to  God,  to  remind  him 
of  his  Maker,  to  lead  him  back  to  Him,  when  he  has  gone 
astray.  The  significance  of  all  earthly  gifts  is  to  point  to 
Him  from  whom  every  good  and  perfect  gift  cometh,  and 
their  very  limitation  is  an  impulse  to  seek  something 
higher  than  what   satisfies   only   the  need   of  the  body. 

1  Tlie  Rabbis  say :  To  eat  the  bread  of  a  Samaritan  is  the  same  as  eating 
pork.  Unprepared  food  in  its  natural  condition,  however,  was  exempt;  but 
to  drink  out  of  the  same  vessel  was  strictly  prohibited. 


IV.  7-15-]  CHAPTER  IV.  ^g 

"  If  thou  kiicwest  the  <^nft  of  God  and  ivJio  it  is  that  saith 
to  thee:  Give  me  to  drink."  There  must  be  then  a  con- 
nection between  "God's  gift"  and  Him,  that  addresses 
her.  It  is  through  Him  that  even  the  natural  gifts  come 
to  us  and  benefit  us.  What  a  "  gift  "  again  for  the 
Samaritan  woman,  this  opportunity  to  meet  this  "  Jew," 
the  man  that  addresses  her.  If  thou  knewest  this!  and 
knewest  what  God  means  to  give  thee  through  Him  and 
wJio  it  is  that  speaks  to  thee  !  It  is  the  same  theme  for 
the  Samaritan  woman,  as  well  as  for  Nicodemus  and  the 
Jevv^s,  the  central  theme  of  the  whole  Gospel  of  John  : 
Who  is  He  ?  Who  art  Thou  ?  "  Living  water  !  " — Here 
is  a  theme  of  a  parable  for  her,  to  think  about  !  But  see 
how  this  child  of  nature  pours  out  with  unrestrained 
naivete  a  very  flood  of  words,  to  let  this  ignorant  stranger 
know  all  about  this  interesting  place,  the  excellency  of  its 
water,  its  historical  reminiscences,  etc.  This  is  good 
enough  for  her  !  What  more  could  this  man  offer  to  her  ? 
How  cold,  indifferent  and  even  hostile  is  man's  attitude 
towards  God,  wherever  He  offers  him  something  more 
than  what  satisfies  his  body  and  "  his  sons  and  his  cattle." 
Good  provision  for  the  necessities  of  this  body  ;  and  for 
the  ideal  side  of  life,  decent  family  and  church  connections, 
a  touch  of  national  pride  with  stirring  historical  reminis- 
cences, this  is  all  that  this  woman  seems  to  care  for  in  this 
life.  Mark  also  the  emphasis  with  which  she  dwells  on 
"  our  father  Jacob," — not  a  whit  less  complacent  than  the 
Jews,  when  they  spoke  of  "  our  father  Abraham,"  nor 
does  she  fail  to  draw  exactly  the  same  conclusion  as  to 
the  dignity  of  the  Lord:  "Art  thou  greater  than  our 
father  Jacob  ?  "  (See  viii.  53  :  Art  thou  greater  than  our 
father  Abraham  ?) 

Now    the    Lord   shows   unto   her  directly  the  unsatis- 
factory character  of  the   earthly   gift  :  "  Every  one  that 


6o  "  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [i v.  7-15. 

drinketh  of  this  water,  shall  thirst  again."  Though  it  be 
manna  from  heaven  which  the  fathers  did  eat, — they  die  ! 
Though  it  be  water  from  Jacob's  well  they  drink,  they 
will  thirst  again  and  again,  until  at  last  they  crave  for 
Lazarus'  finger  to  cool  their  tongue !  The  Lord  there- 
fore offers  something  different :  living  water  that  shall 
become  a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life  ! 
Spiritual  water  seeking  its  own  level,  just  as  natural  water 
does.  It  springs  from  eternity.  It  rises  to  eternity  !  It 
is  the  spiritual  life  that  leads  to  eternal  life. 

The  woman's  answer  is  not  easy  to  understand.  It  is  a 
strange  mixture  of  conflicting  possibilities.  How  well  it 
sounds,  that  simple  prayer  in  perfect  accordance  with  the 
Lord's  direction  :  "  Lord,  give  me  this  water  that  I  thirst 
not."  Thus  all  souls  may  pray,  that  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness,  and  "they  shall  be  filled."  But  what 
can  we  make  of  the  second  part  of  her  response  :  "  That 
I  have  not  to  come  all  the  way  hither  to  draw  "  ?  How 
far  from  all  true,  spiritual  understanding  of  the  Lord  is 
this  !  How  grossly  material !  Possibly  there  is  a  slight 
touch  of  sceptical  irony  in  it.  "  If  Thou  canst  do  such 
wonderful  things,  I  would  like  to  see  it."  She  would 
have  no  objection  to  be  thus  relieved  from  some  of  the 
burdens  of  the  wearisome  tread-mill  of  this  life.  It  is 
evident  that  there  is  no  consciousness  yet  of  her  inner 
spiritual  need  ;  she  must  first  be  made  to  thirst,  before 
she  will  appreciate  the  "  living  water  "  which  Jesus  offers. 
To  awaken  that  spiritual  thirst,  to  convince  her  of  her 
need  and  misery,  the  Lord  in  the  following  verse  starts 
anew  in  His  soul-dealing  with  this  woman. 

(/;.)    The  Prophet  (iv.    16-26). 

16-26.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Go,  call  thy  husband,  and  come  hither. 
The  woman  answered  and  said  unto  him,  I  have  no  husband.     Jesus  saith 


IV.  16-26.]  CHAPTER  IV.  6i 

unto  her,  Thou  saidst  well,  I  have  no  husband  :  for  thou  hast  had  five  hus- 
bands; and  he  whom  thou  now  hast  is  not  thy  husband:  this  hast  thou 
said  truly.  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  1  perceive  that  thou  art  a 
prophet.  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  mountain ;  and  ye  say,  that  in 
Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men  ought  to  worship.  Jesus  saith  unto  her. 
Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour  cometh,  when  neither  in  this  mountain,  nor 
in  Jerusalem,  shall  ye  worship  the  Father.  Ve  worship  that  which  ye  know 
not :  we  worship  tliat  which  we  know:  for  salvation  is  from  the  Jews.  But 
the  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the 
Father  in  spirit  and  truth  :  for  such  doth  the  father  seek  to  be  iiis  worship- 
pers. God  is  a  Spirit :  and  they  that  worship  him  must  worship  in  spirit 
and  truth.  The  woman  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  Messiah  cometh  (which 
is  called  Christ)  :  when  he  is  come,  he  will  declare  unto  us  all  things. 
Jesus  saith  unto  her,  I  that  speak  unto  thee  am  he. 

The  Lord  touches  her  conscience.  He  who  knew 
Nathanael's  sacred  hours  of  longing  and  meditation  under 
the  ficf  tree,  knew  also  the  dark  secrets  in  the  life  of  the 
Samaritan  woman.  "  Go  call  thy  husband  and  come 
hither."  It  is  as  if  He  said  :  Go  bring  hither  thy  sin  and 
shame!  Gently  but  firmly  He  lays  His  hand  upon  the 
sore  point  of  her  life  (ver.  i8).  Her  prompt  answer,  "  I 
have  no  husband,"  which  seemed  such  a  convenient  escape 
from  this  demand  of  the  stranger,  is  turned  into  a  word 
of  self-condemnation  by  Him  with  whom  she  has  to  do, 
and  "  before- whose  eyes  all  things  are  naked  and  laid 
open"  (Heb.  iv.  13).  She  admits  all  that  the  Lord  has 
charged  her  with.  "  Lord,  I  perceive  that  thou  art  a 
prophet," — both  a  confession  of  her  guilt  and  a  recognition 
of  the  majesty  of  Christ.  Indeed,  here  is  a  "  greater  "  one 
than  Jacob  and  Joseph  and  all  the  fathers.  Her  heart 
begins  to  thirst  after  the  spring  of  living  water.  But 
where  does  it  flow  ?  Hardly  here  on  Mount  Gerizim,  the 
place  of  worship  of  her  fathers?  Perhaps  in  Jerusalem  ? 
Let  this  great  Jewish  Prophet  answer  the  question.  We 
see  how  her  Samaritanism,  of  which  she  made  so  much 
at  the  opening  of  the  conversation,  is  dwindling  away 


62  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [iv.  16-26. 

before  the  Lord.  She  is  now  perfectly  ready  to  accept 
the  teaching  of  the  Jewish  prophet.  And  what  a  new 
doctrine  is  this  that  He  utters  now!  Would  not  His 
disciples  have  been  amazed  and  shocked  at  this  demon- 
stration of  "  zeal  for  His  father's  house"?  Would  not 
His  enemies  who  afterwards  so  bitterly  denounced  Him 
as  a  "  Samaritan  "  (John  viii.  48),  have  found  sufificient 
ground  for  their  accusation  in  the  first  sentence  of  the 
answer  of  the  Lord  ?  "  Woman,  believe  me,  the  hour 
Cometh  when  neither  in  this  mountain  nor  in  Jerusalem 
shall  ye  worship  the  Father."  The  Jews  then  will  have 
no  preference  before  the  Samaritans?  The  Father  who 
is  to  be  worshipped  will  have  His  children  among  them 
all  without  distinction  ?  He  will  be  Father  to  the  Samar- 
itans also !  There  will  be  an  end  to  all  these  hostile 
barriers  between  Jews,  Gentiles  and  Samaritans  !  This 
prophet  will  embrace  them  all  in  one  fold,  under  one 
shepherd  !    What  heresy  this  was  to  orthodox  Jewish  ears  ! 

And  yet,  though  soaring  high  to  this  ideal  of  the  com- 
ing Church  of  God,  the  Lord  does  not  mean  to  ignore  the 
historical,  providential  position  of  Israel  ;  the  errors  of 
Mount  Gerizim,  the  truth  of  Jerusalem  :  Ye  worship 
that  which  ye  know  not :  we  worship  that  which  we 
know  :  for  salvation  is  from  the  Jews.  And  the  Jews  are 
His  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh.  Theirs  are  the 
adoption  and  the  glory  and  the  covenants,  and  the  giving 
of  the  law  and  the  service  of  God  and  the  promises ; 
theirs  are  the  fathers  and  of  them  is  Christ  "  as  concern- 
ing the  flesh  "  (Rom.  ix.  5). 

There  are  two  definitions  of  God  in  these  words  of 
Jesus:  God  the  Father,  \.\idX  simple,  most  popular  and 
practical  one,  which  at  once  appeals  to  the  human  heart, 
particularly  when  we  hear  of  a  Father  seeking  lost 
children,  that  ought  to  return  to   Him  and  render  Him 


IV.  i6-26.]  CHAPTER  IV.  63 

the  honor  due  Him  by  true  spiritual  worship ;  the  other, 
which  seems  to  be  the  most  abstract,  mysterious  and  dif- 
ficult of  all :  God  is  Spirit.  Even  Fichtc  thought  that 
for  a  positive  definition  of  God  this  was  utterly  useless 
and  unfitted.  But  even  this  definition  has  in  this  connec- 
tion an  eminently  practical  tendency.  It  is  closely  con- 
nected with  the  idea  of  worshipping  God  in  spirit  and  in 
truth.  The  spirituality,  the  inner  truthfulness,  the  life- 
reality  in  man's  worship,  is  thereby  emphasized  over 
against  outward  forms,  dead  traditions,  temporary  limita- 
tions and  the  letter  of  the  law.  God,  being  Father  and 
being  Spirit,  has  children  born  of  His  Spirit,  led  by  His 
Spirit,  participating  in  divine  spiritual  life.  And  those 
only  that  are  thus  born  of  the  Spirit  are  able  to  worship 
Him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  But  our  true  knowledge  of 
God  the  Father-spirit,  our  partaking  in  His  own  spiritual 
nature  in  becoming  His  children,  is  only  made  possible 
through  that  mystery  of  divine  love :  The  Word  was 
made  flesh.  The  God  in  the  flesJi  reveals  to  us  the  God 
who  is  spirit,  and  there  is  no  true  spirituality  in  religion, 
either  as  knowledge  of  God,  or  as  worship  of  God  ^  out- 
side of  the  incarnate  Son  of  God.  To  be  God's  child 
through  the  Only  Begotten,  to  say  with  truly  childlike 
trust  and  obedience,  Abba  Father,  this  is  to  worship  God 
in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

But  what  does  the  Samaritan  woman  do  with  all  these 
revelations  that  open  such  a  grand  future  before  her  ? 
She  seeks  refuge  in  the  one  ray  of  hope  for  the  realiza- 
tion of  such  great  things, — that  hope  which  found  its  way 
even  to  benighted  Samaria,  and  was  preserved  there, 
though  the  Samaritans  rejected  the  Prophets  and  clung 
to  Moses  alone, — the  hope  of  the  Messiah  :  "  I  know  that 
Messiah  cometh  ;  when  he  is  come  he  will  declare  unto 

1  Both  belong  together :   "  Ye  must  know  whom  ye  worship." 


64  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [iv.  27-31. 

US  all  things."  But  He  is  come:  "I  that  speak  unto 
thee  am  He."  More  plainly  and  directly  than  either  to 
the  seeking  disciples,  or  to  Nicodemus,  or  the  Jews  in 
Jerusalem,  was  this  announcement  made  to  the  Samar- 
itan woman  !  One  of  the  most  lofty  and  spiritual  revela- 
tions concerning  God  and  His  kingdom  made  before  a 
person  whom  no  Jewish  teacher  would  have  deigned  to  ad- 
dress. For  even  the  disciples,  without  knowing  the  full 
compass  of  this  conversation,  marvelled  that  He  was 
speaking  with  this  woman  {a  woman). 

3.    Tlie  Convcrsatio)i  with  the  Disciples  (iv.  27-38). 

27-38.  And  upon  this  came  his  disciples ;  and  they  marvelled  that  he 
was  speaking  with  a  woman  ;  yet  no  man  said,  What  seekest  thou  ?  or,  Why 
speakest  thou  with  her?  So  the  woman  left  her  water  pot,  and  went  away 
into  the  city,  and  saith  to  the  men,  Come,  see  a  man,  which  told  me  all 
things  thatfWtfrl  did  :  can  this  be  the  Christ?  They  went  out  of  the  city, 
and  were  coming  to  him.  In  the  mean  while  the  disciples  prayed  him,  say- 
ing, Rabbi,  eat.  But  he  said  unto  them,  I  have  meat  to  eat  that  ye  know 
not.  The  disciples  therefore  said  one  to  another.  Hath  any  man  brought 
him  aught  to  eat  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  My  meat  is  to  do  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me,  and  to  accomplish  his  work.  Say  not  ye.  There  are  yet 
four  months,  and  t/ien  cometh  the  harvest  ?  behold,  I  say  unto  you,  Lift  up 
your  eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields,  that  they  are  white  already  unto  harvest. 
He  that  reapeth  receiveth  wages,  and  gathereth  fruit  unto  life  eternal;  that 
he  that  soweth  and  he  that  reapeth  may  rejoice  together.  For  herein  is  the 
saying  true,  One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  I  sent  you  to  reap  that 
whereon  ye  have  not  laboured  :  others  have  laboured,  and  ye  are  entered  into 
their  labour. 

How  different  the  manner  in  which  this  Samaritan 
woman  left  the  Lord  from  the  silent,  meditative  and  un- 
decided mood  of  Nicodemus!  Leaving  her  water-pot, 
she  runs  back  to  the  town,  determined  to  bring  all  the 
people  with  her  to  the  prophet,  to  see  whether  He  be  the 
Christ.  Meanwhile  the  conversation  between  the  dis- 
ciples and  the  Master  takes  place,  starting  with  their  re- 
quest to  Jesus  :  "  Rabbi,  eat,"  just  as  the  former  conver- 


IV.  31-3S]  CHAPTER  IV.  65 

sation  had  opened  with  the  Master's  request :  "  Give  Me 
to  drink."  And  yet,  the  Lord  did  neither  eat  nor  drink- 
in  that  hour.  He  was  above  that  ;  in  a  state  of  spiritual 
exultation  similar  to  that  on  the  return  of  the  seventy 
(Luke  X.  17-21)  when  He  rejoiced  in  the  Holy  Spirit  and 
said  :  "  I  thank  Thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven  and 
earth,  that  Thou  didst  hide  these  things  from  the  wise 
and  understanding  and  didst  reveal  them  unto  babes  : 
yea  Father,  for  so  it  was  well  pleasing  in  Thy  sight  !  " 
He  had  had  His  feast  during  the  absence  of  the  disciples, 
accomplishing  His  Father's  work.  "  Four  months  yet 
and  then  harvest,"  said  the  disciples,  as  they  came  along 
through  the  sprouting  fields,  green  with  the  fresh  young 
wheat  springing  up.  December  was  this  time,  as  the 
harvest  began  in  April.  His  sojourn  in  Judsea  had  there- 
fore lasted  eight  months,  from  Easter  till  December. 
But  the  Lord  turns  their  attention  to  another  harvest 
field,  the  gathering  in  of  immortal  souls  in  the  kingdom 
of  God.  Lift  up  your  eyes  !  Look  on  the  fields  !  White 
already  unto  harvest  !  There  they  are  coming  to  Him 
(ver.  30),  multitudes  of  Samaritans !  His  word  to  the 
woman  has  roused  the  whole  place.  After  a  short  half 
hour  of  sower's  work,  such  a  plentiful  harvest  ready  for 
the  reaper !  And  this  time  the  sower  and  the  reapers 
(who  are  often  so  widely  apart  in  the  kingdom  of  God) 
so  close  together,  united  in  one  harvest-joy  !  It  is  the 
privilege  and  the  joy  of  the  disciples  to  reap,  it  was  the 
labor  of  the  Lord  to  sow.  He  had  been  at  work.  They 
enter  into  His  labor. 

4.  Believing  Samaritans  (iv.  39-42). 

39-42.     And  from  that  city  many  of  the  Samaritans  believed  on  him  be- 
cause of  the  word  of  the  woman,  who  testified,   He  told  me  all  things  that 
ti'er  I  did.     So  when  the  Samaritans  came  unto  him,  they  besought  him  to 
5 


66  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [iv.  39-42. 

abide  with  them  ;  and  he  abode  there  two  days.  And  many  more  believed 
because  of  his  word ;  and  they  said  to  the  woman,  Now  we  believe,  not  be- 
cause of  thy  speaking  :  for  we  have  heard  for  ourselves,  and  know  that  this 
is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 

Here  follows  the  description  of  the  joyous  harvest  to 
which  the  Lord  had  just  referred.  What  a  result  of  this 
half-hour's  sowing  over  against  the  eight  months'  work  in 
barren  Judaea  !  The  personal  contact  with  the  Lord  had 
a  wonderful  effect  in  developing  the  faith  of  the  Samar- 
itans, both  extensively  and  intensively.  Many  more  be- 
lieved, now  that  they  had  an  opportunity  of  hearing  the 
Lord  Himself.  And  they  believe  now  because  of  His 
word,  not  because  of  the  woman's  speaking.  They  had 
tasted  the  fountain  itself,  that  spring  of  living  water. 
Whatever  the  service  of  men,  parents,  teachers,  friends 
and  fathers  in  the  Church  may  have  done  for  us  in  telling 
us  of  Jesus,  our  faith  is  fully  and  permanently  established 
only  when  we  rest  on  the  word  of  the  Lord  Himself. 
These  Samaritans,  from  their  own  hearing,  have  learned 
to  know  that  this  is  indeed  the  Saviour  of  the  World! 
(Only  once  more,  i  John  iv.  14,  this  beautiful  name  is 
given  to  the  Lord.)  Salvation  is  from  the  Jews.  But 
the  Saviour  is  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  gathering  the 
true  worshippers  of  the  Father  from  every  kindred,  every 
tongue. 

IX.  Galilean  Faith  (iv.  43-54). 

I.  Historical  Introduction  (iv.  43-45). 

43-45.  And  after  the  two  days  he  went  forth  from  thence  into  Galilee. 
For  Jesus  himself  testified,  that  a  prophet  hath  no  honour  in  his  own  country. 
So  when  he  came  into  Galilee,  the  Galileans  received  him,  having  seen  all 
the  things  that  he  did  in  Jerusalem  at  the  feast :  for  they  also  went  unto  the 
feast. 

The  remark  of  the  Evangelist   (ver.  44)  :  "  For  Jesus 


IV.  43-45-]  CHAPTER  IV.  67 

Himself  testified  that  a  prophet  hath  no  honor  in  his 
own  country,"  is  somewhat  difficult  to  understand  in 
this  connection.  How  can  this  statement  serve  to  ex- 
plain the  return  of  Jesus  into  Galilee  at  this  time?  The 
Lord  went  forth  into  Galilee,  where  He  had  indeed  been 
before,  without  making  an  impression,  without  even  a 
special  attempt  to  draw  public  attention  upon  Himself, 
knowing  that  a  prophet  has  no  honor  in  his  own  country. 
In  full  accord  with  this  principle  was  the  reception  which 
He  now  found  among  the  Galileans.  Having  seen  all 
the  things  that  He  did  in  Jerusalem  at  the  feast,  they 
received  Him.  His  reputation,  so  to  speak,  was  first 
made,  not  in  His  own  country,  but  abroad,  in  the  cap- 
ital. 

6*^:///^^,  originally  the  "  region,"  "  territory,"  "  borders  " 
(so  in  Josh.  xiii.  2,  the  regions,  that  is,  the  Galilee  of 
the  Philistines),  the  name  of  the  northern  district  of 
Palestine.  Galilee  (the  borders),  of  the  Gentiles  (Isai. 
ix.  i;  Matt.  iv.  15),  because  the  Jews  (particularly  the 
tribe  of  Asher)  had  failed  to  take  full  possession  of  it, 
leaving  the  important  sea-towns  in  the  hands  of  the 
Phoenicians.  Under  the  reign  of  Solomon  this  district 
did  not  amount  to  much.  King  Hiram,  of  Tyrus,  re- 
fused the  twenty  Galilean  towns  offered  for  his  cedars  as 
having  no  value  whatever.  At  the  time  of  Christ  it  was 
different.  It  was  then  a  populous  and  most  fertile  dis- 
trict. Josephus  speaks  of  204  towns  with  more  than 
15,000  inhabitants,  which  would  be  equal  to  a  population 
of  over  four  millions,  that  is,  as  dense  as  in  China  of  the 
present  day.  The  inhabitants,  ever  sincethe  return  from 
the  captivity,  represented  a  mixture  of  Jewish  and  Pagan 
elements ;  despised  by  the  Jews  as  ignorant,  uncouth 
people,  whose  very  language  betrayed  their  lack  of 
culture.     They  were  brave  warriors,   but   impulsive,  pas- 


68  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [rv.  46-48. 

sionate,  unsteady,  always  ready  for   revolutionary  move- 
ments. 

2.    The  Noblcmaiis   Lnibc/icf  Rcbitkcd  {\\f.  46-^^). 

46-48.  lie  came  therefore  again  unto  Cana  of  Galilee,  where  he  made 
the  water  wine.  And  there  was  a  certain  nobleman,  whose  son  was  sick  at 
Capernaum.  When  he  heard  that  Jesus  was  come  out  of  Judaea  into 
Galilee,  he  went  unto  him,  and  besought  him  that  he  would  come  down, 
and  heal  his  son  ;  for  he  was  at  the  point  of  death.  Jesus  therefore  said 
unto  him,  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  in  no  wise  believe. 

The  history  of  Galilean  faith  in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John 
begins  with  a  very  sharp  rebuke  of  the  unbelief  which 
the  Lord  meets  at  first  sight.  The  nobleman  of  Caper- 
naum was  not  a  relation  of  Herod's  family,  but  an  officer 
of  the  king's  court, — possibly  Chuza,  the  husband  of 
Joanna  (Luke  viii.  3),  or  Manacn  (Acts  xiii.  i),  the  foster- 
brother  of  Herod  the  Tetrarch.-  This  man  (emphatically 
said),  from  such  surroundings  and  under  such  influences 
as  that  court  would  naturally  exercise,  came  to  Jesus  and 
besought  Him,  that  He  would  come  down  and  heal  his 
son — thus  conditioning  the  help  he  expected  on  the 
bodily  presence  of  the  Lord.  This  request  (essentially 
the  same  as  in  the  case  of  Jairus,  and  yet  there  was  no 
reproof  there)  Avas  answered  by  that  severe  rebuke : 
"  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders,  ye  will  in  no  wise 
believe."  It  was  the  manifest  aim  of  the  Lord  in  all 
His  pastoral  dealings  with  individuals  to  bring  them  to 
that  faith  which  rests  on  the  word  and  is  begotten  of 
the  word.  All  through  the  Gospel  we  observe  the 
progress  from  the  sigji  to  the  word,  which  follows  or  ac- 
companies it,  setting  forth  most  fully  its  meaning. 
Here  the  Lord  came  from  Samaria,  where  the  faith 
which  His  presence  created  was  altogether  based  on  the 
word:    "Now  we  believe — for  we   have   heard  for  our- 


IV.  49.  5o]  CHAPTER  IV.  69 

selves," — no  sign  to  be  seen  there,  only  the  word  to  be 
heard.  And  this  is  the  very  thing  in  which  the  noble- 
man's faith  was  lacking. 

3.    TJie  NoblcnuDi  s  Faith    Supported    anel    Trained    (iv. 

49,  50). 

49-50.  The  nobleman  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  come  down  ere  my  child  die. 
Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Go  thy  way  ;  thy  son  liveth.  The  man  believed  the 
word  that  Jesus  spake  unto  him,  and  he  went  his  way. 

The  result  shows  that,  however  weak,  there  was  in  that 
man  a  beginning  of  faith  which  the  severe  trial  to  which 
it  was  subjected  by  the  Lord  could  not  extinguish,  and 
which  was  consequently  strengthened  and  quickened  by 
that  very  trial.  The  father  holds  on  to  that  one  helper 
for  whom  he  had  come  all  the  distance  between  Caper- 
naum and  Cana.  He  simply  repeats  his  petition,  with 
whatever  defects  and  awkwardness  it  betrayed,  em- 
phasizing it  with  those  touching  words  in  which  we 
see  the  father's  heart  trembling  under  the  agony  of 
that  moment :  Come  down — "  ere  my  eJiild  die!'  Jesus 
saith  unto  him  :  "  Go  thy  way,  thy  son  liveth.  The  man 
believed  the  word  that  Jesus  spake  unto  him  and  he 
went  his  way."  The  second  word  of  the  Lord  was  in- 
deed another  trial  for  the  nobleman's  faith.  But  of  a 
much  more  positive  character.  If  it  required  an  un- 
limited, unreserved  trust  and  surrender  on  the  part  of  the 
nobleman,  it  furnished  at  the  same  time  the  means  and 
support  for  such  confidence  in  that  simple  word  of 
Jesus:  "  Thy  son  liveth  !  "  To  accept  the  precious  gift 
these  words  conveyed,  and  to  follow  the  direction  they 
implied,  "  go  thy  way," — believing,  rejoicing,  never 
doubting,  but  obeying — this  was  the  act  of  faith  which 
filled  the  Evangelist's  heart  with  wonder  and  gladness 


yo  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [iv.  50-54. 

Avhen  he  wrote,  many  years  afterwards,  "  The  man  be- 
Heved  the  word  that  Jesus  spake."  Thus  far  there  was 
nothing  for  his  eyes,  no  sign  to  be  seen — only  a  word  for 
his  ear  and  his  heart  ;  but  in  this  word,  by  the  divine 
power  it  contained,  a  real  act  of  deHverance  at  the  very 
time  when  the  word  was  spoken. 


4.    The  Noblonaiis  Faith    Crozvncd .with  Experience  (iv. 

51-54)- 

51-54.  And  as  he  was  now  going  down,  his  servants  met  him,  saying, 
that  his  son  lived.  So  he  inquired  of  them  the  hour  when  he  began  to 
amend.  They  said  therefore  unto  him,  Yesterday  at  the  seventh  hour  the 
fever  left  him.  So  the  father  knew  that  //  7uas  at  that  hour  in  which  Jesus 
said  unto  him,  Thy  son  liveth :  and  himself  believed,  and  his  whole  house. 
This  is  again  the  second  sign  that  Jesus  did,  having  come  out  of  Judaea  into 
Galilee. 

The  reahties  of  the  word,  though  invisible  for  a  time, 
and  objects  of  faith  alone,  become  visible  at  last.  The 
testimony  of  his  servants  meets  the  nobleman  at  the  gate 
of  the  city  with  the  very  same  word  which  Jesus  had 
given  him,  and  which  had  been  his  rod  and  his  staff  on 
his  journey  home  :  "  Thy  son  liveth."  He  inquired  of 
them  the  hour  when  he  began  to  amend — -surely  not 
from  any  motive  of  doubt  concerning  the  connection 
between  this  change  and  the  word  of  Jesus,  but  to  as- 
certain to  his  own  fullest  assurance  and  satisfaction  that 
it  was  at  the  same  hour.  So  the  father  " -^wrTC "  and 
"  believed."  What  a  progress  from  that  first  stage  of  his 
coming  to  Jesus:  "  Except  ye  see  signs  and  wonders  ye 
will  not  believe." 

5.    TJie  NoblcDian  s  House  Believing. 
Like  the   faith  of  the   Samaritan  woman,  that  of  the 


IV.  53-]  CHAPTER  IV.  yj 

nobleman  also  has  a  wonderful  power  of  expansion.  His 
whole  house  is  brought  to  Jesus  by  the  blessed  experi- 
ence of  that  day.  The  good  news  of  the  recovery  of  the 
sick  child  is  far  surpassed  by  the  greater  and  better 
news:  "  My  whole  house  liveth  by  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  !  " 

Thus  far  then  the  Evangelist  has  presented  the  begin- 
nings of  faith  in  the  incarnate  Word  :  in  the  disciples, 
through  the  testimony  of  the  Baptist,  their  first  personal 
acquaintance  with  the  Lord  and  the  manifestation  of  His 
glory  at  the  marriage  of  Cana  ;  among  the  inhabitants  of 
Jerusalein  (ii.  23)  during  that  first  passover  ;  in  Nicodcnins, 
the  learned  Pharisee  ;  in  the  Samaritan  woman  and  the 
people  of  SycJiar,  and  finally  in  Galilee,  in  the  nobleman  s 
family  of  Capernaum. 

But  now  the  curtain  drops  on  these  precious  scenes, 
full  of  encouragement.  We  will  see  different  things  in 
the  next  eight  chapters  (ch.  v.-xii.) :  The  unbelief  that  re- 
jects the  Word  ;  conflict  after  conflict  against  the  faith- 
ful witness  ;  an  evergrowing  hostility  which  culminates 
in  the  counsel  to  put  Him  to  death. 


SECOND  PART— CHAPTERS  V— XII. 

THE  HOSTILITY  OF  UNBELIEF   THAT   REJECTS  THE 
INCARNATE  WORD. 


The  eight  chapters  from  the  fifth  to  the  twelfth  which 
form  the  central  part  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  introduce 
the  history  of  the  great  conflict  between  the  Lord  and 
His  unbelieving  adversaries,  and  the  development  of  their 
opposition  into  that  bitter  hatred  which  finally  resolved  to 
put  Him  to  death. 

CHAPTER  V. 

I.  The  Beginning  of  the  Conflict  in  Jud^a  (v.  1-47). 

I.    The  Healing  of  tJic  Sick  Man  in  BctJiesda  (v.  1-16). 

1-16.  After  these  things  there  was  a  feast  of  the  Jews;  and  Jesus  went 
up  to  Jerusalem. 

Now  there  is  in  Jerusalem  by  the  sheep  gate  a  pool,  which  is  called  in 
Hebrew  Bethesda,  having  five  porches.  In  these  lay  a  multitude  of  them 
that  were  sick,  blind,  halt,  withered.  And  a  certain  man  was  there,  which 
had  been  thirty  and  eight  years  in  his  infirmity.  When  Jesus  saw  him 
lying,  and  knew  that  he  had  been  now  a  long  time  in  that  case,  he  saith 
imto  him,  Wouklest  thou  be  made  whole  ?  The  sick  man  answered  him. 
Sir,  I  have  no  man,  when  the  water  is  troubled,  to  put  me  into  the  pool  : 
but  while  I  am  coming,  another  steppeth  down  before  me.  Jesus  sailh 
unto  him.  Arise,  take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.  And  straightway  the  man 
was  made  whole,  and  took  up  his  bed  and  walked. 

Now  it  was  the  sabbath  on  that  day.     So  the   Jews  said  unto  him  tliat 

was  cured.  It  is  the  sabbath,  and  it  is  not  lawful  for  thee  to  take  up  thy  bed. 

But  he  answered  them,  He  that  made  me  whole,   the  same  said  unto  me, 

Take  up  thy  bed,  and  walk.     They  asked  him,  Who   is  the  man  that  said 

72 


V.  I,  2.]  CHAPTER  V.  73 

unto  thee,  Take  up ///_)' ^c^/,  and  walk  ?  Hut  he  that  was  healed  wist  not 
who  it  was:  for  Jesus  had  conveyed  himself  away,  a  multitude  being  in  the 
place.  Afterward  Jesus  findeth  him  in  the  temple,  and  said  unto  him, 
Behold,  thou  art  made  whole  :  sin  no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  befall  thee. 
The  man  went  away,  and  told  the  Jews  that  it  was  Jesus  which  had  made 
him  whole.  And  for  this  cause  did  the  Jews  persecute  Jesus,  because  he 
did  these  things  on  the  sabbath. 

The  first  question  which  arises  in  connection  with  this 
miracle  is  one  of  considerable  importance  for  the  chronol- 
ogy of  the  public  ministry  of  the  Lord.  What  feast  of 
the  Jews  was  it  that  is  mentioned  in  the  first  verse  of  the 
chapter?  If  we  read  "  tlic  feast,"  ^  as  the  marginal  note 
in  the  revised  version  indicates,  the  question  is  settled  in 
favor  of  the  Passover.  In  this  case  we  have  here  the 
second  Passover,  during  the  public  life  of  the  Messiah, 
followed  by  the  third  in  John  vi.  and  the  fourth  and  last  in 
John  xii.,  making  in  all  about  three  and  one-half  years  of 
Christ's  public  ministry.  But  if  we  read  "<7:  feast, "^  it 
was  most  likely  the  festival  of  Purim  (in  March),  and  the 
Passover,  spoken  of  in  John  vi.,  may  have  been  in  the  same 
year,  thus  making  the  public  life  of  the  Lord  only  two 
and  one-half  years. 

The  site  of  the  pool  of  Bethesda  cannot  satisfactorily 
be  established  in  modern  Jerusalem.  The  common  tradi- 
tion finds  it  in  a  large  fosse  "  Birket  Israil  "  360  by  130 
feet,  north  of  the  Temple  mountain  close  to  St.  Stephen's 
Gate,  on  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city,  which,  however, 
was  most  likely  a  part  of  the  system  of  defence  connected 
with  the  tower  of  Antonia.  The  revised  version  omits 
the  last  clause  of  the  3d  and  the  whole  of  the  4th  verse 
of  the  received  text,  and  it  must  be  admitted,  on  very 
strong  authority.  The  periodical  moving  of  the  water, 
which  occurs  to  the  present  day  in  a  number  of  remitting 

1  Codd.  N,  C.  &  E. ;  &  Tischendorf. 

2  Codd.  A.  B.  &  D. ;  Tregelles,  Westcott  &  Ilort,  &  Godet. 


74  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [v.  3-16. 

and  intermitting  fountains  throughout  the  country,  could 
then  have  been  the  result  of  natural  causes.  The  com- 
mon superstition  of  the  present  inhabitants,  which,  as 
Thompson  remarks  (p.  459),  ascribes  this  phenomenon  to 
the  agency  of  demons,  believed  to  occupy  all  such  places, 
seems  rather  to  point  to  an  original  supernatural  influence, 
as  indicated  in  the  4th  verse  of  the  received  text. 

The  miraculous  healing  of  the  sick  man,  in  which  Jesus 
had  taken  the  initiative,  without  being  asked,  and  during 
which  He  observed,  as  we  would  say,  a  strict  incognito, 
provoked  the  conflict  wi.th  His  adversaries,  because  He 
did  these  things  on  the  Sabbath  day,  the  continual  occa- 
sion for  conflicts  with  His  antagonists,  also  according  to 
the  Synoptical  accounts.      (Cf.  Luke  vi.  i-ii.) 

2.    TJie  Lord's  Discourse  Following  the  Miracle  at  the  Pool 
of  BetJiesda  (v.  17-47). 

(rt.)  The  Personal  Relation  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son  the  Explanation  of  the  Latter  s  Works  (v.  1 7-30). 

17-30.  But  Jesus  answered  them,  My  Father  worketh  even  until  now, 
and  I  work.  For  this  cause  therefore  the  Jews  sought  the  more  to  kill 
him,  because  he  not  only  brake  the  sabbath,  but  also  called  God  his  own 
Father,  making  himself  equal  with  God. 

Jesus  therefore  answered  and  said  unto  them, 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but 
what  he  seeth  the  Father  doing:  for  what  things  soever  he  doeth,  these  the 
Son  also  doeth  in  like  manner.  For  the  Father  loveth  the  Son,  and  shew- 
eth  him  all  things  that  himself  doeth  :  and  greater  works  than  these  will 
he  shew  him,  that  ye  may  marvel.  For  as  the  Father  raiseth  the  dead  and 
quickeneth  them,  even  so  the  Son  also  quickeneth  whom  he  will.  For 
neither  doth  the  Father  judge  any  man,  but  he  hath  given  all  judgement 
imto  the  Son;  that  all  may  honour  the  Son,  even  as  they  honour  the 
Father,  He  that  honoureth  not  the  Son  honoureth  not  the  Father  which 
sent  him.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  heareth  my  word,  and 
believeth  him  that  sent  me,  hath  eternal  life,  and  cometh  not  into  judge- 
ment, but  hath  passed  out  of  death  into  life.     Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you. 


V.  17,  1 8.]  CHAPTER   V.  75 

The  hour  cometh,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the 
Son  of  God;  and  they  that  hear  shall  live.  For  as  the  Father  hath  life  in 
himself,  even  so  gave  he  to  the  Son  also  to  have  life  in  himself  :  and  he  gave 
him  authority  to  execute  judgement,  because  he  is  the  Son  of  man.  Marvel 
not  at  this  ;  for  the  hour  cometh,  in  which  all  that  are  in  the  tombs  shall 
hear  his  voice,  and  shall  come  forth ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the 
resurrection  of  life ;  and  they  that  have  done  ill,  unto  the  resurrection  of 
judgement. 

I  can  of  myself  do  nothing :  as  I  hear,  I  judge  :  and  my  judgement  is 
righteous  ;  because  I  seek  not  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me. 

In  the  plain  opening  word.s  of  the  Lord  we  find  both 
the  foundation  of  the  whole  discourse  which  follows,  and 
the  occasion  for  the  bitter  attacks  of  His  enemies.  "  My 
Father  worketh  even  until  now  and  I  work."  There  are 
two  points  in  this  short  sentence  ;  and  both  were  instinct- 
ively felt  by  the  antagonists  of  the  Lord.  He  is  at  work, 
in  spite  of  the  Sabbath.  This  is  the  one  point.  And  He 
is  in  union  with  the  Father,  that  is  the  other  point.  Or 
as  the  Jews  express  it  without  equivocation  :  "  He  not 
only  brake  the  Sabbath  but  also  called  God  His  own 
Father,  making  Himself  equal  with  God."  The  year  be- 
fore, when  He  appeared  in  the  Temple  with  the  scourge 
in  His  hand,  they  could  not,  however  much  embittered 
against  Him,  make  out  a  case  to  prosecute  Him.  For  the 
zeal  He  there  displayed  was  for  the  sanctuary  in  Jerusa- 
lem. But  now  they  find  two  charges  at  one  time  :  break- 
ing the  Sabbath,  and  the  blasphemy  of  making  Himself 
equal  with  God.  Mark  the  distinction,  which  His  enemies 
made  between  what  He  actually  said,  when  He  called 
God  His  own  Father ;  and  the  claim  He  thereby  made,  of 
being  equal  with  God,  which  in  their  eyes  was  not  a 
reality,  and  therefore  nothing  but  a  blasphemous  assump- 
tion :  "  making  Himself  "  what  He  was  not — equal  with 
God.     (As  in  viii.  53,  Whom  makest  Thou  Thyself?) 

There  is  a  heavenly  peace,  a  truly  Sabbatic  restfulness. 


76  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  /OHM.  [v.  17-20. 

unruffled  by  the  anger  of  His  adversaries,  in  the  answer  of 
the  Lord.  Let  your  Rabbis  discern  the  thirty  kinds  of 
work,  forbidden  on  the  Sabbath  day,  let  them  dispute 
that  difficult  question,  whether  it  be  lawful  to  heal,  or 
even  to  comfort  an  afflicted  fellow-man  on  that  day.  My 
Father  worketh  and  so  do  1.  And  if  He  were  not  at 
work,  preserving,  keeping,  blessing,  protecting  His  people, 
laboring  for  their  eternal  welfare  and  salvation,  where 
would  our  Sabbath  be?  With  the  mere  ceasing  from 
Avork  nothing  is  gained  on  the  Sabbath  day.  But  to  work 
with  the  Father,  for  the  Father,  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Father,  this  is  a  Sabbath,  pleasing  in  His  eyes.  How 
natural  it  is  for  the  Son  to  work  as  the  Father  worketh ! 
He  can  do  nothing  of  Himself,  but  that  He  seeth  the 
Father  doing.  It  is  a  moral  impossibility  for  Him.  Being 
one  with  the  Father  and  fully  conscious  of  His  will  and 
purpose,  He  cannot  (as  He  was  tempted  to  do,  and  as  it 
would  have  been  an  easy  thing  for  Him  physically  to  do) 
change  those  stones  into  bread,  or  cast  Himself  down 
from  the  pinnacle  of  the  temple.  But  He  seeth  the 
works  of  the  Father ;  for  the  Father  loveth  the  Son  and 
showeth  Him  all  things  that  Himself  doeth.  Love  has 
no  secrets.  And  the  love  of  the  Father  and  the  Son  is 
the  basis  of  their  full  understanding  and  working  together. 
We  have  heard  before  that  great  word  on  God's  relation 
to  the  world:  God  so  loved  the  world!  Here  we  have 
the  still  greater  word  on  the  relation  between  the  Father 
and  the  Son,  which  grants  us  an  insight  into  the  eternal 
mysteries  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  The  father  loved  the 
Son.  There  has  always  been  the  Loving  one  and  the 
Beloved  one,  independent  of  the  created  world.  There 
has  always  been  that  communication  and  understanding 
between  Father  and  Son,  by  which  the  Son  becomes  the 
interpreter,  the  executor  of  the  Father's  works.     They 


V.  21-25-]  CHAPTER  V.  77 

are  shown  to  Him,  that  is,  in  the  end,  they  are  committed 
to  Him.     They  are  all  done  through  Him. 

And  now  the  two  greatest  works,  which  in  their  ful- 
ness are  yet  to  be  revealed  through  the  Son,  are  set  forth 
in  vers.  21-29.  The  work  of  raising  the  dead  or  quicken- 
ing, and  the  work  oi  judging.  In  these  two,  the  creative 
and  the  judicative,  all  that  God  does  towards  men  is 
comprehended  and  consummated.  And  these  two  works 
are  committed  to  the  Son.  He  is  henceforth  exclusively 
the  life-giver  and  the  judge  of  the  world.  And  the  pur- 
pose for  which  these  works  are  thus  officially  committed 
to  the  Son,  is  that  all  may  honor  the  Son  even  as  they 
honor  the  Father.  Equal  works,  equal  honor,  this  is  the 
principle  underlying  this  sentence.  What  a  solemn 
warning  to  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  who  charged  Him 
with  blasphemy  for  "  making  Himself  equal  with  God  !  " 

But  on  the  other  hand  what  a  kind  invitation  for  all 
(in  ver.  24)  to  share  in  those  two  blessed  experiences,  of 
having  eternal  life  and  not  coming  into  judgment,  by  accom- 
plishing that  great  step,  passing  ''  out  of  death  into  life." 
Observe  here  that  humble,  winning  form  in  which  the 
testimony  of  God,  with  all  its  inherent  power  of  convic- 
tion is,  so  to  speak,  placed  on  the  same  level  with  ordi- 
nary, trustworthy,  human  evidence :  "  who  believeth 
Him  "  the  same  as  the  Lord  said  to  the  Samaritan  woman, 
"  Believe  Me  " — just  as  man  speaks  to  man  and  friend  to 
friend. 

The  great  work  of  life-giving,  quickening,  is  first  intro- 
duced (ver.  25  f.)  as  the  spiritual  raising  of  the  spiritually 
dead.  It  is  the  present  work  of  the  Saviour,  which  goes 
on  wherever  His  voice  is  heard,  and  brings  divine  life  to 
the  hearts  of  all  that  believe  and  obey.  Afterwards  the 
resurrection  of  the  body  and  the  future  judgment  are  set 
forth  as  the  crowning  works  of  the  Son.     Life  is  given  by 


78  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [v.  26-36. 

Christ  as  the  eternal  Son  of  God,  in  whom,  from  the  be- 
ginning, was  the  fountain  of  hfe  for  all  creatures.  Judg- 
ment is  exercised  by  Christ  as  the  Son  of  Man,  Thus, 
by  divine  appointment,  man  is  to  be  judged  by  his  peer  ; 
by  Him  who  is  the  most  humble  and  the  most  loving  of 
men,  who  has  borne  the  sins  of  men.  On  the  judgment- 
seat  sits  grace  itself  in  the  person  of  Him  who  can  be 
touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities,  having  been 
tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are.  Who  then  will 
complain  of  injustice,  if  judged  and  condemned  by  the 
Son  of  Man  ? 

((^.)    Tlie  Testimony  of  the  Father  (v.  31-40). 

31-40.  If  I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness  is  not  true.  It  is  another 
that  beareth  witness  of  me ;  and  I  know  that  the  witness  which  he  wit- 
nesseth  of  me  is  true.  Ye  have  sent  unto  John,  and  he  hath  borne  witness 
unto  the  truth.  But  the  witness  which  I  receive  is  not  from  man  :  howbeit 
I  say  these  things,  that  ye  may  be  saved.  He  was  the  lamp  that  burneth 
and  shineth  ;  and  ye  were  willing  to  rejoice  for  a  season  in  his  Hght.  But 
the  witness  which  I  have  is  greater  than  that  ^  John :  for  the  works  which 
the  Father  hath  given  me  to  accomplish,  the  very  works  that  I  do,  bear  wit- 
ness of  me,  that  the  Father  hath  sent  me.  And  the  Father  which  sent  me, 
he  hath  borne  witness  of  me.  Ye  have  neither  heard  his  voice  at  any  time, 
nor  seen  his  form.  And  ye  have  not  his  word  abiding  in  you  :  for  whom  he 
sent,  him  ye  believe  not.  Ye  search  the  scriptures,  because  ye  think  that  in 
them  ye  have  eternal  life ;  and  these  are  they  which  bear  witness  of  me ;  and 
ye  will  not  come  to  me,  that  ye  may  have  life. 

In  speaking  of  these  great  works,  the  Lord  may  well 
have  read  an  expression  of  utter  astonishment  on  the 
faces  of  His  adversaries.  Where  is  the  authority  for  such 
great  things  on  His  part?  To  answer  this  the  Lord  sets 
forth  the  testimojiy  which  proves  His  authority  and  dig- 
nity ;  not  His  own  personal  testimony,  nor  even  that  of 
John  the  Baptist,  but  that  of  a  greater  One,  the  Father. 
The  works  (ver.  36)  which  the  Father  has  given  Him  :  the 


V.  31-36]  CHAPTER   V.  79 

direct  word  of  the  Father  Himself  (ver.  37),  and  the  scrip- 
tures (ver.  39),  represent  this  testimony  in  its  fuhiess. 

The  Lord  accommodates  Himself  to  His  opponents  to 
such  an  extent  that,  at  this  point,  He  admits  that  His 
own  testimony  in  the  sense  of  the  Jews  would  not  be 
conclusive  and  convincing  evidence  in  His  own  case  (ver. 
31.)^  He  therefore  appeals  to  other  witnesses.  But  even 
John  the  Baptist's  testimony  He  is  willing  to  forego  in  this 
connection.  He  will  not  appeal  to  him  and  receive  his 
testimony  fiom  him  (ver.  34).  Not  from  the  human  mes- 
senger as  such,  but  from  Him  that  sent  him  does  the  testi- 
mony for  Christ  derive  its  value  and  dignity.  Most  clearly 
and  strikingly  the  transient  character  of  John's  office  and 
testimony  is  described  by  the  Lord  :  when  He  calls  him 
a  burning  and  shining  lamp,  and  Israel  "  willing  to  rejoice 
for  a  season  in  this  light."  This  "  rejoicing"  is  rather  a 
suspicious  feature.  Was  that  all  ?  John's  solemn  preach- 
ing of  repentance  nothing  but  a  passing  sensation  !  If  it 
had  really  taken  hold  of  their  hearts,  would  it  not  have 
caused  them  a  deep  godly  sorrow  rather  than  rejoicing  ? 
But  they  were  not  anxious  to  have  their  souls  enlightened 
by  that  lamp.  They  rejoiced  and  were  proud  that  their 
Judaism  was  shiningonce  more  in  new  lustre,  through  the 
appearance  of  this  great  prophet,  after  prophecy  had 
been  silent  for  four  centuries. 

Where  the  testimony  of  the  Father  Himself  is  to  be 
found,  is  set  forth  directly  in  ver.  36-39.  It  is  to  be 
found  in  the  zvorks  which  the  Father  has  given  Him  to 
accomplish,  not  simply  the  single  miracles  and  signs,  such 
as  the  healing  of  the  sick  man  in  Bethesda,  but  the  whole 
great  task  of    His   life   itself,   the  great  double-work   of 

^  Quite  different  in  viii.  14  :  "  Even  if  I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness 
is  true,"  because  in  that  connection  He  emphasizes  His  consciousness  of  His 
divine  nature  and  origin  :  "  I  Icnow  whence  I  came." 


8o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JO //.V.  [v.  37-40. 

life-giving  and  judging.     Again  :  The  testimony    of    the 
Father  was  the  most  direct  one  (ver.  37).     "  He  hath  borne 
witness  of  me,"  in  the   voice    heard    on  the   occasion   of 
the    Lord's    baptism  :  "  Him    ye    shall    hear."       Lastly  : 
The  testimony  of  the  Father  is  to  be  found  in   the  word 
of  the  Scriptures.     The   two   different  interpretations  of 
ver.  39  are  indicated  in  the  Revised  Version  :  "  Ye  search 
the    scriptures,"  in    the    context,    as    accepted     by    the 
majorit}^    of  modern   commentators:     and    "Search    the 
scriptures"  on    the  margin   and  in  the   Authorized   Ver- 
sion   (the    interpretation   of     the   Peshitto,    Chrysostom, 
Augustine,    Luther,    Calvin   and   others).     Preferring  the 
former,  we  find  in  these  words  both  a   concession  and  a 
warning  to  the  Jews.     They  have  the  word,  but  have  it 
not  abiding  in  them  (ver.  38).     They  have  a  knowledge 
of    Scripture,    based  on    thorough   researches,    on   great 
familiarity  with  the  contents  of  its  letter.     And  even  more 
than  that.     They  have  an  idea  ('Joxc-Tre)  of  having  eternal 
life  in  them.     But  what  are  all  these  researches  in  Scrip- 
ture, what  are  all  the  minutiae  of  rabbinical  or  theological  in- 
terpretation, what  is  even  the  exalted  idea  of  Scripture  as  a 
means  and  guarantee  of  eternal  life,  unless  Christ  be  found 
in  the  Scriptures  !     "  They  bear  witness  of  Me."     This  is 
the  one  main  thing.     Christ  is  the  centre  and  the  sun  of 
the  Scriptures  (here  the  O.  T.  Scriptures).     No  life  in  the 
Scriptures    or    through  the    Scriptures,    except    through 
Christ.     But  the  testimony  of   Him  is  in  all   the    Script- 
ures, this  plural  covering  the  whole  of  the  O.  T.  Canon. 

{c.)    Unbelief  of  the  /ezvs,    Lamented   and  Explained 
(v.  41-47)- 

41-47.  I  receive  not  glory  from  men.  But  I  know  you,  that  ye  have  not 
the  love  of  God  in  yourselves.  I  am  come  in  my  Father's  name,  and  ye 
receive  me  not :  if  another  shall  come  in  his  own  name,  him  ye  will  receive. 


V.  41-47]  CHAPTER  V.  8i 

How  can  ye  believe,  which  receive  glory  one  of  another,  and  the  glory 
that  Cometh  from  the  only  God  ye  seek  not  ?  Think  not  that  I  will  accuse 
you  to  the  Father :  there  is  one  that  accuseth  you,  er'cn  Moses,  on  whom  ye 
have  set  your  hope.  For  if  ye  believed  Moses,  ye  would  believe  me  ;  for  he 
wrote  of  me.  But  if  ye  believe  not  his  writings,  how  shall  ye  believe  my 
words  ? 

With  the  41st  verse  beghis  the  third  and  last  section 
of  this  discourse.  The  Lord  shows  the  real  and  inner- 
most cause  of  the  unbelief  of  the  Jews  and  the  conse- 
quences of  it.  Their  unbelief  springs  from  their  selfish 
pride,  which  craves  honor  from  men,  whilst  it  is  in- 
different to  the  glory  coming  from  the  only  God.  What 
else  is  faith,  but  to  give  ourselves  up  to  God,  fully,  com- 
pletely, in  every  sense  of  the  word,  so  that  we  are  no 
longer  anything  in  ourselves,  but  God  is  everything  in 
us,  by  His  all-sufficient  grace.  This  love  of  God  towards 
men,  appropriated  by  the  believer,  is  not  in  the  hearts  of 
those  men  as  something  which  they  realize  and  experi- 
ence. Therefore  they  receive  not  the  greatest  gift  of 
that  love,  Him  who  came  in  His  Father's  name.  Mark 
how  directly  and  clearly  the  Lord  here  announces  Him- 
self as  the  one  expected  Messiah,  come  from  God.  We 
are  not  to  look  for  another  (Matt,  xi,  3).  And  if  "  an- 
other" Cometh,  it  can  only  be  a  false  Christ,  or  even  an 
Antichrist. 

The  Lord  having  thus  far  defended  Himself  against 
the  insinuations  and  accusations  of  His  enemies,  now 
proceeds  to  attack  them  most  vigorously  and  with  a 
weapon  which  they  had  looked  upon  as  their  greatest 
strength  : — "  There  is  one  that  accuseth  you,  even  LIoscs, 
on  whom  ye  have  set  your  hope.  For  if  yc  believed 
Moses,  ye  would  believe  Me."  Moses  accuses  them  not 
only  through  the  laiu  which  was  given  him  as  the  media- 
tor, but  also  through  his  whole  testimony  concerning  the 
history  of  God's  kingdom  and  particularly  as  the  great 


82  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [v.  45-47. 

prophet,  who  wrote  of  Christ  and  pointed  to  Him.  If 
the  Scriptures  in  general  bear  witness  of  Christ,  the  same 
is  now  said  in  particular  of  those  Scriptures  which  were 
written  by  Moses,  and  written  of  Christ,  bearing  witness 
of  Christ.  Let  our  modern  teachers  and  students  of  the 
Pentateuch  remember  these  words  of  our  Lord  and 
Master. 

It  is  a  very  severe  charge  against  the  Jews  :  "  Ye  be- 
lieve not  Moses,"  but  true  in  every  aspect.  Did  they 
believe  what  Moses  said  on  fallen  man,  that  he  was  flesh 
striving  against  the  Spirit  of  God  (Gen.  vi.  3),  and  that 
"  every  imagination  of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  only 
evil  continually  "  (Ibid.  ver.  5)?  Did  they  believe  what 
Moses  said  of  the  hope  and  experience  of  the  Patriarchs, 
especially  of  Abraham,  how  he  believed  in  the  Lord  and 
how  the  Lord  counted  it  to  him  for  righteousness?  Did 
they  believe  what  Moses  said  of  the  Law  and  its  curse 
upon  every  one  "  that  will  not  do  all  these  command- 
ments "  ?  Did  they  believe  what  was  meant  by  all  those 
Mosaic  institutions  of  the  sacrifices,  and  the  tabernacle, 
and  the  priesthood,  and  by  such  types  as  the  Passover 
and  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness  ?  Indeed,  where  did 
Moses  not  write  of  Christ  ?  Accepting  the  writings  of 
Moses,  they  must  believe  the  words  of  Jesus.  It  is  one 
testimony,  an  organic  unity  from  the  very  beginning. 

The  tables  are  completely  turned  at  the  close  of  this 
discourse  of  the  Lord  ;  the  two  points  of  attack  have 
been  reversed  against  Christ's  accusers  themselves.  They 
appeared  in  the  beginning  as  tjie  special  advocates  of 
Moses,  defending  his  sabbath,  protesting  against  its 
breaking.  And  now  they  stand  here  as  the  men  who 
themselves,  in  their  innermost  heart,  dishonor  and  disbe- 
lieve Moses,  and  are  in  turn  accused  by  him.  Again, 
they  seemed  at  the  outset  most  zealous  for  the  honor  of 


V.  4 5-47  J  CHAPTER  V.  83 

God  in  persecuting  Him  who  made  Himself  equal  with 
God  ;  but  now  they  stand  convicted  as  men  anxious  to 
receive  glory  from  one  another  and  utterly  indifferent 
to  the  true  glory  of  God  !  They  are  Jews  only  outwardly, 
in  the  flesh,  and  not  inwardly,  in  the  spirit,  whose  praise 
is  not  of  men  but  of  God  (Rom.  ii.  28,  29.  Jehudah, 
God's  praise).  Thus  the  great  battle  is  opened  between 
the  Lord  and  His  adversaries,  and  it  is  a  conflict  for  life 
and  death.  But  there  is  now  a  pause  for  a  while,  made 
by  the  Lord's  retirement  into  Galilee. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

II.   The  Crisis  in  Galilee. 

(A.)  TJie  Miraculous  Feeding  {y\.  1-15). 
(B.)  TJie  MectingivitJi  His  Diseiples  on  tlie  Water  {y\.  16-21). 

X-21.  After  these  things  Jesus  went  away  to  the  other  side  of  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  which  is  the  sea  of  Tiberias.  And  a  great  multitude  followed  hiin, 
because  they  beheld  the  signs  which  he  did  on  them  that  were  sick.  And 
Jesus  went  up  into  the  mountain,  and  there  he  sat  with  his  disciples.  Now 
the  passover,  the  feast  of  the  Jews,  was  at  hand.  Jesus  therefore  lifting  up 
his  eyes,  and  seeing  that  a  great  multitude  cometh  unto  him,  saith  unto 
Philip,  Whence  are  we  to  buy  bread,  that  these  may  eat .'  And  this  he  said 
to  prove  him ;  for  he  himself  knew  what  he  would  do.  Philip  answered 
him.  Two  hundred  pennyworth  of  bread  is  not  sufficient  for  them,  that 
every  one  may  take  a  little.  One  of  his  disciples,  Andrew,  Simon  Peter's 
brother,  saith  unto  him,  There  is  a  lad  here,  which  hath  five  barley  loaves, 
and  two  fishes  :  but  what  are  these  among  so  many .'  Jesus  said.  Make  the 
people  sit  down.  Now  there  was  much  grass  in  the  place.  So  the  men  sat 
down,  in  number  about  five  thousand.  Jesus  therefore  took  the  loaves  ; 
and  having  given  thanks, he  distributed  to  them  tliat  were  set  down;  like- 
wise also  of  the  fishes  as  much  as  they  would.  And  when  they  were  filled, 
he  saith  unto  his  disciples.  Gather  up  the  broken  pieces  which  remain  over, 
that  nothing  be  lost.  So  they  gathered  them  up,  and  filled  twelve  baskets 
with  broken  pieces  from  the  five  barley  loaves,  which  remained  over  unto 
them  that  had  eaten.  ^Vhen  therefore  the  people  saw  the  sign  which  he 
did,  they  said.  This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet  that  cometh  into  the  world. 

Jesus  therefore  perceiving  that  they  were  about  to  come  and  take  him 
by  force,  to  make  him  king,  withdrew  again  into  the  mountain  himself 
alone. 

And  when  evening  came,  his  disciples  went  down  unto  the  sea ;  and  they 
entered  into  a  boat,  and  were  going  over  the  sea  unto  Capernaum.  And  it 
was  now  dark,  and  Jesus  had  not  yet  come  to  them.  And  the  sea  was 
rising  by  reason  of  a  great  wind  that  blew.  When  therefore  they  had  rowed 
about  five  and  twenty  or  thirty  furlongs,  they  behold  Jesus  walking  on  the 
84 


VI.  1-4]  CHAPTER   VI.  85 

sea,  and  drawing  nigh  unto  the  boat;  and  they  were  afraid.  But  he  saith 
unto  them,  It  is  I ;  be  not  afraid.  TRey  were  willing  therefore  to  receive 
him  into  the  boat :  and  straightway  the  boat  was  at  the  land  whither  they 
were  going. 

The  healing  of  the  nobleman's  son  in  Capernaum  had 
been  the  beginning  of  signs  wrought  in  the  public  ministry 
of  the  Lord  in  Galilee.  The  miraculous  feeding  of  the 
5,000  is  the  culmination  of  the  Galilean  signs.  All  the 
four  Gospels  record  it,  but  its  fullest,  deepest  significance, 
both  in  point  of  history  and  of  doctrine,  has  only  been 
brought  out  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  Its  date  was  about  a 
year  after  the  discourse  in  Jerusalem  related  in  ch.  v. 
Here  is  the  principal  period  of  His  Galilean  activity, 
which  is  more  fully  described  by  the  Synoptists. 

The  locality  of  the  miraculous  feeding  is  distinctly 
mentioned  by  St.  Luke.  It  was  Bethsaida  ;  but  not 
Bethsaida  on  the  west  side  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  the 
home  of  Andrew,  Peter  and  Philip,  but  Bethsaida  Julias, 
situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river  Jordan,  a  little  to 
the  north  of  the  point  where  it  enters  the  Lake  of  Galilee. 

The  Lord  had  intended  to  retire  for  a  little  season  of 
rest,  to  the  north-east  shore  of  the  lake,  together  with  His 
disciples.  But  as  the  multitude  pressed  after  Him,  He 
forgot  His  need  of  rest  and  gave  Himself  up  to  their 
wants,  just  as  we  have  seen  it  before  in  His  dealings  with 
Nicodemus  and  the  Samaritan  woman.  It  was  the  last 
Passover  before  His  passion  and  death,  and  the  Lord  was 
willing  to  give  to  the  Galilean  multitude,  in  the  miracu- 
lous feeding  and  the  discourse  connected  with  it,  a  sign 
and  a  word  which  should  prepare  them  for  the  events  of 
the  following  year,  and  reveal  Him  as  the  bread  of  Life, 
giving  Himself  for  the  life  of  the  world.  But  what  was 
the  effect  ?  The  long  suspended  and  frequently  dis- 
appointed  Messianic    expectations    of   those  passionate, 


86  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vi.  15-21. 

warlike  Galileans  threatened  to  lead  to  a  revolutionary 
outbreak.  "  They  were  about  to  come  and  take  Him 
by  force,  to  make  Him  king."  But  this  attempt  was 
promptly  frustrated  by  the  Lord  ;  He  withdrew  again 
into  the  mountain  Himself  alone  to  pray,  having  con- 
strained the  disciples  to  enter  into  the  boat  and  to  go 
before  Him  unto  the  other  side  (Matt.  xiv.  22).  This 
separation  even  from  the  disciples  in  that  hour  naturally 
leads  us  to  ask  :  Was  there  danger  even  in  their  midst  ? 
Had  they  also  been  tainted  with  this  spirit  of  insurrec- 
tion, with  the  desire  after  a  Messiah-king  of  their  own 
making  ?  Or  had  the  movement  even  been  instigated  by 
one  of  the  twelve,  the  same  who  at  the  close  of  this 
chapter  is  so  significantly  called  a  devil?  Even  in  the 
following  event  the  scenes  of  next  year's  Passover  are 
foreshadowed.  A  stormy  night — the  lonely  disciples 
struggling  helplessly  on  the  raging  sea — their  Lord  not 
among  them,  far  away  on  the  mountain  to  pray  ;  but 
after  the  short  separation  a  sudden  reappearance  of  their 
blessed  Lord  with  the  sweet  and  comforting  salutation  : 
It  is  I  ;  fear  not  ! — Does  not  this  change  from  the  storm 
to  the  calm,  from  the  separation  to  reunion,  from  fear 
and  anxiety  to  joy  and  peace,  suggest  the  great  change 
from  the  darkness  of  Good  Friday  to  the  light  of  glorious 
Easter  morning? 

(C.)  The  Discourses  Following  these  Miracles  in  Capernaum 
(vi.  22-59). 

I.  Historical  Introduction  (vi.  22-24). 

22-24.  On  the  morrow,  the  multitude  which  stood  on  the  other  side  of 
the  sea  saw  that  tliere  was  none  other  boat  there,  save  one,  and  that 
Jesus  entered  not  with  his  disciples  into  the  boat,  but  that  his  disciples 
went  away  alone  (howbeit  there  came  boats  from  Tiberias  nigh  unto  the 


VI.  22-24-]  CHAPTER   VI.  87 

place  where  they  ate  the  bread  after  the  Lord  had  given  thanks)  :  when  the 
multitude  therefore  saw  that  Jesus  was  not  there,  neither  his  disciples,  they 
themselves  got  into  the  boats,  and  came  to  Capernaum,  seeking  Jesus. 

After  the  miraculous  feeding  the  people  had  remained 
on  the  other  side  (the  N.  E.  shore)  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee. 
Seeing  that  the  Lord  had  sent  off  His  disciples  in  the 
boat,  whilst  He  remained  on  their  side,  they  naturally 
expected  to  find  Him  again  on  the  following  day.  In 
this  they  were  disappointed,  and  consequently  they  used 
their  first  opportunity — some  boats  from  Tiberias  coming 
near  the  place  where  they  ate  the  bread — to  cross  over 
to  Capernaum.  To  their  great  surprise  they  find  the 
Lord  there,  and  at  once  the  welcome  thought  of  a  new 
miracle  suggests  itself  to  their  minds  :  How  could  He 
ever  have  come  across  the  lake  ?  They  were  sure  that 
He  had  not  crossed  the  lake  in  one  of  their  boats. 
Therefore  the  question  :  Rabbi,  when  camest  Thou 
hither  ?  And  here  is  the  starting-point  for  all  the  dis- 
courses that  now  follow.  Not  the  enjoyment  of  miracu- 
lous signs,  the  satisfying  of  mere  curiosity,  the  alleviation 
of  temporary  needs  and  distress  is  what  they  ought  to 
seek  from  Him,  but  eternal  life  itself,  which  the  Son  of 
Man  shall  give  them,  if  they  will  only  believe  in  Him. 
This  idea  of  apprehending  the  Lord  Himself,  appropriat- 
ing and  assimilating  Him  by  personal  faith,  forms  the 
principal  subject  of  these  discourses.  They  are  narrated 
in  that  lively,  graphic  form  of  the  dialogue,  which  is  so 
characteristic  of  this  Gospel,  and  presents  most  of  its 
great  facts  and  doctrines  with  truly  dramatic  realism. 

2.    TJie  Jcii'S  Asking  Questions  (vi.  25-40). 

25-40.  And  when  they  found  him  on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  they  said 
unto  him,  Rabbi,  when  camest  thou  hither  ?  Jesus  answered  them  and  said, 
Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  ye  seek  me,  not  because  ye  saw  signs,  Init 


88  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN:  [vi.  25-34. 

because  ye  ate  of  the  loaves  and  were  filled.  Work  not  for  the  meat  which 
perisheth,  l)ut  for  the  meat  which  abideth  unto  eternal  life,  which  the  Son 
of  man  shall  give  unto  you  :  for  him  the  Father,  even  God  hath  sealed. 
They  said  therefore  unto  him,  What  must  we  do,  that  we  may  work  the 
works  of  God  .^  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them.  This  is  the  work  of 
God,  that  ye  believe  on  him  whom  he  hath  sent.  They  said  therefore  unto 
him.  What  then  doest  thou  for  a  sign,  that  we  may  see,  and  believe  thee .' 
what  workest  thou  .''  Our  fathers  ate  the  manna  in  the  wilderness ;  as  it  is 
written.  He  gave  them  bread  out  of  heaven  to  eat.  Jesus  therefore  said 
unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  It  was  not  Moses  that  gave  you 
the  bread  out  of  heaven ;  but  my  Father  giveth  you  the  true  bread 
out  of  heaven.  For  the  bread  of  God  is  that  which  cometh  down 
out  of  heaven,  and  giveth  life  unto  the  world.  They  said  therefore  unto 
him,  Lord,  evermore  give  us  this  bread.  Jesus  said  unto  them,  I  am  the 
bread  of  life  :  he  that  cometh  to  me  shall  not  hunger,  and  he  that  believeth 
on  me  shall  never  thirst.  But  I  said  unto  you,  that  ye  have  seen  me,  and 
yet  believe  not.  All  that  which  the  Father  giveth  me  shall  come  unto  me; 
and  him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  For  I  am  come 
down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  him  that  sent 
me.  And  this  is  the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,  that  of  all  that  which  he  hath 
given  me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up  at  the  last  day.  For 
this  is  the  will  of  my  Father,  that  every  one  that  beholdeth  the  Son,  and 
believeth  on  him,  should  have  eternal  lif  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the 
last  day. 

There  are  four  distinct  questions  or  requests,  with 
which  the  Jews  approach  the  Lord.  The  first  has  been 
referred  to  already.  Rabbi,  when  earnest  Thou  hither  ? 
(ver.  25).  The  second  is  found  in  ver.  28  :  What  must 
we  do,  that  we  may  work  the  works  of  God  ?  The  third 
in  ver.  30 :  What  then  doest  Thou  for  a  sign,  that  we 
may  see  and  believe  Thee  ?  what  workest  Thou  ?  The  last 
is  the  direct  petition  of  the  Jews  (ver.  34) :  "  Lord,  ever- 
more give  us  this  bread."  The  main  points  of  this  dia- 
logue are  as  follows:  Not  for  the  meat  which  perishetli, 
but  for  the  meat  which  abideth  unto  eternal  life,  they 
ought  to  work.  But  how  can  they  work  for  this  ?  Not 
by  doing  certain  works  prescribed  by  the  law,  but  through 
that  one  work,  which  is  God's  work  indeed,  believing  on 
Him,  whom  He  hath  sent.     Faith,  then,  is  not  in  this  con- 


VI.  28-35]  CHAPTER  VI.  89 

nection  the  work  ivrougJit  by  God  (though  other  scripture 
passages  undoubtedly  describe  it  also  in  this  light),  but  it 
is  the  one  work  demanded  by  God,  the  one  thing  pleasing 
to  God,  just  as  Luther  used  to  say  of  the  first  command- 
ment :  "  It  is  the  intent  of  this  commandment  to  require 
such  true  faith  and  trust  of  the  heart  as  regards  the  only 
true  God  and  rest  in  Him  alone.  So  you  have  here  the 
true  honor  and  service  of  God  which  pleases  God,  and 
which  He  commands  under  penalty  of  eternal  wrath,  viz., 
that  the  heart  knows  no  other  trust  or  confidence  than  in 
Him  "  (Large  Catech.). 

Still  the  carnal  mind  of  the  Galileans  unfolds  itself 
more  and  more.  If  Christ  be  such  a  great  messenger  or 
commissioner  from  God,  demanding  such  faith,  where  are 
His  signs?  That  of  yesterday  was  good  enough  as  far  as 
it  went.  But,  after  all,  those  barley  loaves  make  rather  a 
poor  show,  compared  with  the  manna  from  heaven,  on 
which  the  fathers  were  fed.  If  Jesus  be  greater  than 
Moses,  surely  His  gifts  and  signs  ought  to  surpass  those 
of  Moses.  This  leads  to  the  direct,  positive  statement  of 
the  Lord  :  I  am  the  bread  of  life,  given  by  the  Father, 
out  of  heaven,  and  giving  eternal  life.  Thus  the  atten- 
tion of  His  hearers  is  concentrated  upon  Himself,  His 
person.  Instead  of  asking  for  gifts,  however  great  and 
wonderful,  from  His  hand,  they  ought  to  ask  for  Himself. 
Not :  Give  us  such  and  such  bread  !  But  give  us  Thy- 
self, thou  heavenly  Bread,  that  we  may  eat  and  live 
through  Thee  ! 

3.   The  Jeivs  Murmuring  (vi.  41-51). 

41-51.  The  Jews  therefore  murmured  concerning  him,  because  he  said,' 
1  am  the  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven.  And  tliey  said,  Is  not 
this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose  father  and  mother.we  know  ?  how  doth 
he  now  say,  I  am  come  down  out  of  heaven  ?    Jesus  answered  and  said 


go  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  '  [vi.  41-47. 

unto  them,  Murmur  not  among  yourselves.  No  man  can  come  to  me,  ex- 
cept the  Father  which  sent  me  draw  him  :  and  I  will  raise  him  up  in  the 
last  day.  It  is  written  in  the  prophets,  And  they  shall  all  be  taught  of 
God,  Every  one  that  hath  heard  from  the  Father,  and  hath  learned, 
Cometh  unto  me.  Not  that  any  man  hath  seen  the  Father,  save 
he  which  is  from  God,  he  hath  seen  the  Father.  Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  you,  He  that  believeth  hath  eternal  life.  I  am  the  bread  of  life. 
Your  fathers  did  eat  the  manna  in  the  wilderness,  and  they  died.  This  is 
the  bread  which  cometh  down  out  of  heaven,  that  a  man  may  eat  thereof 
and  not  die.  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came  down  out  of  heaven  :  if 
any  man  eat  of  this  bread,  he  shall  life  for  ever :  yea  and  the  bread  which  I 
will  give  is  my  flesh,  for  the  live  of  the  world. 

We  know,  from  the  Synoptical  Gospels,  that  a  number 
of  scribes  and  Pharisees  had  gone  to  Galilee,  just  about 
that  time,  to  watch  the  Lord,  and,  if  an  occasion  should 
offer  itself,  to  stir  up  the  people  against  Him  (Matt. 
XV.  i).  Such  men  most  likely  were  among  this  multi- 
tude. They  would  naturally  be  the  first  to  point  out 
the  seeming  presumptuousness  in  that  claim  of  Christ, 
"that  He  came  down  out  of  heaven,"  whilst  to  them  He 
was  "  this  Jesus,  the  son  of  Joseph,  whose  father  and 
mother  we  know."  The  Lord  does  not  begin  to  reveal 
to  them  the  mystery  of  His  supernatural  birth.  An  ap- 
peal to  this  will  never  create  faith  where  there  is  none. 
It  rather  requires  a  believing  heart  to  apprehend  and  ap- 
preciate that  fact  in  all  its  bearings.  Instead,  therefore, 
of  disputing  with  them  on  this  holy  myster}%  He  begs 
and  warns  them  to  submit  to  the  drawing  of  the  Father, 
and  to  come  to  Him.  For  the  Father  not  only  gives  the 
Son,  but  also  draws  to  the  Son  and  gives  Him  all  that 
come  unto  Him  (see  also  ver.  37),  and  find  everlasting  life 
in  Him.  Do  not,  He  says  to  His  hearers,  refuse  to  be 
taught  of  God,  hear  Him,  learn  from  Him,  come  unto 
Me  (ver.  45). 

From  the  statement  made  before,  that  He  is  the  Bread 
of  life,which  came  down  out  of  heaven,  He  cannot  retract 


VI.  48-54]  CHAPTER  VI.  91 

anything.  It  is  solemnly  repeated,  and  He  adds  another 
important  feature  to  it,  which  rather  increases  its  weight, 
and  is  not  calculated  to  make  it  more  acceptable  to  the 
Jews.  "Yea,"  He  says,  in  a  manifest  climax  :  "and  the 
bread  which  I  will  give  is  My  flcsJi  for  the  life  of  the 
world''  {vet.  51  close).  God  is  going  to  prepare  a  new- 
Passover  feast,  to  which  not  only  His  chosen  people  of 
old,  but  the  whole  world,  is  bidden.  Christ  is  the  Pass- 
over Lamb.  His  life  is  to  be  given  on  the  cross  for  the 
life  of  the  world.  The  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world,  by  His  atoning  death,  redeems  the 
world  from  the  bondage  of  sin  and  death,  and  becomes 
the  heavenly  meat  for  a  starving  world  hungering  after 
eternal  life. 

4.   The  Jeivs  Striving  One  with  Another  (vi.  52-59). 

52-59.  The  Jews  therefore  strove  one  with  another,  saying,  How  can 
this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them,  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you,  except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the  Son  of  man  and  drink 
his  blood,  ye  have  not  life  in  yourselves.  He  that  eateth  my  flesh  and 
drinketh  my  blood  hath  eternal  life  ;  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the  last 
day.  For  my  flesh  is  meat  indeed,  and  my  blood  is  drink  indeed.  He  that 
eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him.  As 
the  living  Father  sent  me,  and  I  live  because  of  the  Father;  so  he  that 
eateth  me,  he  also  shall  live  because  of  me.  This  is  the  bread  which  came 
down  out  of  heaven  :  not  as  the  fathers  did  eat,  and  died  :  he  that  eateth 
this  bread  shall  live  for  ever.  These  things  said  he  in  the  synagogue  as  he 
taught  in  Capernaum. 

In  this  third  and  last  section,  the  discourses  of  the  Lord 
on  the  great  theme:  "The  Bread  of  Life,"  culminate. 
In  the  first  we  had  the  simple  statement :  I  am  the 
Bread  of  Life,  that  came  from  heaven.  In  the  second 
the  important  point  is  added  :  The  bread  spoken  of  is  His 
flesh,  given  for  the  life  of  the  world.  In  the  third  and 
last,  the  eating  and  drinking  of  His  flesh  and  blood  is  the 


92  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vi.  52-56. 

main  point  presented,  as  introduced  by  the  question  of 
the  Jews:  "  How  can  this  man  give  us  his  flesh  to  eat?  " 
The  language  used  by  the  Lord  in  this  section  is  indeed 
strong  meat,  not  only  for  the  Jews  of  that  time,  but  for 
Christians  and  believers  of  all  times.  This  whole  passage 
does  not  refer  directly  and  specifically  to  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, or  the  sacramental  eating  and  drinking  of  His  body 
and  blood.  The  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  table,  by  Christ's 
direct  appointment,  has  its  own  earthly,  visible  elements 
of  bread  and  wine.  Without  these,  we  have  no  sacramental 
partaking  of  Christ,  however  closely  we  may  be  united 
with  the  Lord  by  faith,  howeverheavenly  may  be  our  enjoy- 
ment of  His  presence  through  the  word  and  the  Spirit. 
But  there  is  not  the  slightest  reference  to  either  bread  or 
wine,  the  elements  in  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  Lord 
speaks  of  Himself  as  the  living  bread,  very  much  in  the 
same  manner  as  He  spoke  of  the  living  water  to  the 
Samaritan  woman.  Moreover,  we  have  such  statements 
as  those  in  the  53d  and  in  the  56th  and  following  verses. 
In  the  former  we  read  :  "  Except  ye  eat  the  flesh  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  and  drink  His  blood,  ye  have  not  life  in 
yourselves."  Dare  we  limit  this  absolute  rule,  which  al- 
lows of  no  exception,  to  the  partaking  of  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper  ?  What  becomes  of  those  who  (for 
very  good  reasons)  live  and  die  without  ever  having  come 
to  that  sacrament  ?  The  children  that  have  never  been 
admitted  to  it?  The  adults  who,  for  peculiar  reasons, 
against  their  own  will,  have  been  prevented  from  receiv- 
ing it?  Shall  it  be  said  of  them  all :  "  Ye  have  not  life 
in  yourselves  "  ?  And  in  the  56th  verse  we  read  :  "  He 
that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My  blood  abideth  in 
Me  and  I  in  him."  Accordingly,  the  relation  to  the 
Lord,  and  the  connection  with  Him  through  the  eating 
of  His  flesh  and  drinking  of  His  blood,  must  be  not  of  a 


VI.  51-59-]  CHAPTER  VI.  ^3 

temporary  and  periodical,  but  of  an  abiding  character. 
So  this  statement  also  seems  to  preclude  the  specific 
reference  of  this  passage  to  the  sacrament. 

The  eating  and  drinking  of  the  flesh  and  blood  of  the 
Son  of  Man  is  a  description,  in  strongly  figurative  lan- 
guage, of  the  personal  appropriation  by  faith  of  the 
blessings  resulting  from  the  atoning  death  of  Christ.  But 
more  than  this.  It  is  not  only  the  truths  taught  by  the 
Lord,  or  the  benefits  purchased  and  conveyed  by  Him, 
that  are  to  the  believing  Christian  meat  indeed,  unto 
eternal  life.  It  is  the  Lord  Himself,  Jesus  Christ,  not 
simply  in  His  divine  nature,  dwelling  in  our  hearts  through 
the  Spirit,  but  the  whole,  undivided  Godman,  with  His 
human  nature  also,  including  His  glorified  body.  This 
whole  Christ  must  be  ours,  in  order  to  have  life  everlast- 
ing. He  must  be  appropriated,  assimilated  by  true  faith, 
and  this  mystic  union  with  Him,  the  glorified  Godman, 
is  most  beautifully  and  strikingly  represented  by  this 
figure  of  eating  His  flesh  and  drinking  His  blood.  It  is 
undoubtedly  the  strongest,  most  realistic  picture  of  faith, 
and  its  result  the  complete  appropriation  of  Christ,  His 
whole  work  and  His  whole  person,  divine  and  human  ; 
one  of  the  principal  characteristic  features  of  the  Gospel 
of  John,  with  its  wonderful  heavenly  realism. 

(D.)   The    Wavering  Disciples  and  the  Crisis  (vi.  60-71). 
I.    The  Wavering  Disciples  (vi.  60-65). 

60-65.  Many  therefore  of  his  disciples,  when  they  heard  this,  said, 
This  is  a  hard  saying ;  who  can  hear  it  t  But  Jesus  knowing  in  himself 
that  his  disciples  murmured  at  this,  said  unto  them,  Doth  this  cause  you 
to  stumble  ?  What  then  if  ye  should  behold  the  Son  of  man  ascending 
where  he  was  before  ?  It  is  the  spirit  that  quickeneth  ;  the  flesh  profiteth 
nothing:  the  words  that  I  have  spoken  unto  you  are  spirit,  and  are  life. 
But  there  are  some  of  you  that  believe  not.     For  Jesus  knew  from  the  be- 


94  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vi.  60-63. 

ginning  who  they  were  that  believed  not,  and  who  it  was  that  should 
betray  him.  And  he  said,  For  this  cause  have  I  said  unto  you,  that  no 
man  can  come  unto  me,  except  it  be  given  unto  him  of  the  Father. 

These  revelations  of  Christ  concerning  the  mystery  of 
His  person,  and  the  true,  innermost  nature  of  faith,  that 
appropriates  Him,  became  a  stumbling  block  to  all  who 
looked  upon  Him  simply  with  the  eyes  of  human  reason, 
considering  Him  merely  as  a  great  prophet,  mighty  in 
deed  and  word,  or  as  the  great  organizer  of  an  outward 
kingdom  glorious  before  men.  There  came  first  the  mur- 
muring:  This  is  a  hard  saying,  who  can  hear  it?  and 
afterwards  direct  apostasy,  "  many  of  His  disciples  went 
back  and  walked  no  more  with  him."  Even  His  attempt 
to  give  them  a  key  for  the  correct  understanding  of  those 
mysterious  utterances  concerning  His  own  flesh  and  blood 
is  of  no  avail.  He  points  them  to  His  coming  ascension  : 
"  What,  if  you  shall  behold  the  Son  of  Man  ascend  to 
where  He  was  before?"  He  tells  them  of  His  heavenly 
glory  which  He  had  before  coming  into  this  world,  to 
which  He  expects  to  return  by  His  ascension  and  in 
which  even  this  flesh  of  His  is  going  to  participate.  What 
He  said  of  His  flesh  and  blood  was  said  of  the  glorified 
Christ.  He  spoke  of  the  flesh  united  to  the  Godhead  and 
glorified  by  the  Spirit.  The  power  of  quickening,  of 
giving  life,  which  He  ascribed  to  His  flesh  given  for  the 
life  of  the  world,  is  not  in  the  pure,  earthly,  human  flesh 
as  such,  but  in  the  Spirit.  Without  it  the  flesh  profiteth 
nothing.  But  Christ  is  the  incarnate  Word  :  the  God 
in  the  flesh  ;  not  flesh,  born  of  the  flesh  as  other  men,  but 
begotten  of  the  Spirit  as  the  Son  of  Mary,  and  glorified 
by  the  Spirit.  Of  Christ's  flesh,  therefore,  we  cannot  say  : 
it  profiteth  nothing.  It  is  the  flesh  of  the  Godman  and 
therefore  siveth  life  to  the  world.  Yea  we  are  bold  to 
say:  God  outside  of   the   flesh   profiteth    nothing!     We 


VI.  63-6S.]  CHAPTER   VI.  95 

have  no  God  that  will  save  and  give  life  to  the  perishing 
world  except  the  God  in  the  flesh,  the  incarnate  Son  of 
God,  born  of  the  Virgin  Mary. 


2.    TJie  Decision  of  the  Tivelvc  (vi.  66-69). 

66-6g.  Upon  this  many  of  his  disciples  went  back,  and  walked  no  more 
with  him.  Jesus  said  therefore  unto  the  twelve,  Would  ye  also  go  away  .^ 
Simon  Peter  answered  him,  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we  go  ?  thou  hast  the 
words  of  eternal  life.  And  we  have  believed  and  know  that  thou  art  the 
Holy  One  of  God. 

At  this  critical  point  in  the  midst  of  these  wavering  dis- 
ciples the  Lord  demands  a  decision  on  the  part  of  the 
twelve.  (The  twelve  have  never  been  named  in  this 
Gospel  ;  but  are  spoken  of  as  well  known  to  the  readers.) 
The  question  of  the  Lord  :  Would  ye  also  go  away  ?  must 
not  be  understood  as  it  is  frequently  taken,  as  a  most 
pathetic  lament,  with  a  certain  touch  of  sentimentality 
about  it.  It  is  in  itself  full  of  manly  strength  and  resolu- 
tion, insisting  on  an  open,  honest  decision  for  or  against 
Christ,  on  the  principle  announced  by  Him  on  another 
occasion:  He  that  is  not  with  Me,  is  against  Me.  He  that 
gathereth  not  with  Me  scattereth.  This  is  the  dilemma. 
Now  take  your  choice  ! 

Peter,  as  on  other  occasions  also,  becomes  the  spokes- 
man for  the  others.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that  he  or 
the  others  at  that  time  were  able  to  grasp  the  full  meaning 
and  import  of  the  Lord's  teaching  on  those  weighty  sub- 
jects. Nor  does  the  Lord  Himself  expect  or  demand  this 
on  the  part  of  the  twelve,  and  much  less  from  the  great 
mass  of  the  people.  All  that  He  asks  is  that  implicit 
trust  and  confidence,  which  is  so  vigorously  expressed  in 
the  words  of  Peter.  "  To  whom  shall  we  go  ?  Thou 
hast  [the]  words  of  eternal  life."    Away  from  Thee — every- 


96  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vi.  69-71. 

thing  is  empty,  dark  and  dead.  With  Thee  all  is  light, 
life  and  abundance.  We  \\-3,\q  believed  2iX\<^  know  (observe 
the  order  of  these  two  terms)  tiiat  Thou  art  the  Holy 
One  of  God,^  guileless,  undefiled,  separated  from  sinners 
and  higher  than  the  heavens,  sanctified,  consecrated  and 
sent  into  the  world  by  the  Father.  See  Heb.  vii.  26 ;  John 
X.  36. — Also  Peter's  address  in  the  temple  (Acts  iii.  14, 
"  Ye  denied  the  Holy  and  Righteous  One"). 


3.   TJie  Devil  amoyig  Them  (vi.  70,  71). 

70-71.  Jesus  answered  them,  Did  not  I  choose  you  the  twelve,  and  one 
of  you  is  a  devil .'  Now  he  spake  of  Judas  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot,  for 
he  it  was  that  should  betray  him,  being  one  of  the  twelve. 

A  painful  disharmony  mars  the  beauty  of  that  joyous 
accord  which  Peter  had  sounded.  The  Lord  is  ready 
and  willing  that  the  crisis,  brought  about  in  that  hour, 
should  go  clear  through  the  inner  circle  of  the  twelve. 
Twelve  He  has  chosen  and  one  of  them  is  a  devil !  The 
preceding  discourses  of  the  Lord  had  had  the  effect  upon 
Judas  Iscariot,  of  bringing  about  the  decision,  in  the 
depth  of  his  heart,  against  Jesus.  But  he  was  not  ready 
yet  to  break  with  Him  outwardly.  He  held  on  to  his 
connection  with  the  disciples  of  the  Lord.  Jesus  was  to 
him  a  means  to  a  selfish  end,  and  his  attachment  to  His 
cause  a  matter  of  business.  He  probably  had  his  own 
ideas  and  plans  to  carry  out,  at  a  later  period,  with  better 
success,  what  had  been  a  failure  in  Galilee  after  the  feeding 
of  the  5,000  :  viz.,  to  proclaim  Jesus  King  of  a  new  Jewi.sh 

1  The  usual  reading  is  :  Christ,  the  son  of  the  living  God,  as  in  Peter's 
confession.  Matt.  xvi.  16.  But  the  best  authorities  have  the  reading  of  the 
Revised  Version.  It  is  evident,  that,  from  a  desire  to  make  the  two  con- 
fessions of  Peter  as  nearly  alike  as  possible,  the  words  used  in  Matt.  xvi. 
have  been  inserted  here  by  some  copyists. 


VI.  70,  71.]  CHAPTER   VI.  97 

empire,  with  himself  as  the  secretary  of  the  treasury. 
He  seems  to  have  succeeded  very  well  in  hiding  his  true 
character  from  the  disciples.  Only  the  ever-watchful  eye 
of  the  beloved  disciple  followed  him  with  misgiving  and 
suspicion.  He  clearly  indicates  this  many  years  after- 
wards in  the  constant  refrain,  with  which  that  name  is 
mentioned  in  his  Gospel  :  "  he  it  was.  that  should  betray 
Him,  being  one  of  the  twelve." 
7 


•CHAPTER  VII. 

III.    The  Conflict  in  Jerusalem   again  taken  ur 
.  (ch.  vii.,  viii.). 

(A.)  Historical  Introduction  (vii.  1-13). 

r-13.  And  after  these  things  Jesus  walked  in  Galilee;  for  he  would  not 
walk  in  Judaea,  because  the  Jews  sought  to  kill  him.  Now  the  feast  of  the 
Jews,  the  feast  of  tabernacles,  was  at  hand.  His  brethren  therefore  said 
unto  him.  Depart  hence  and  go  into  Judcea,  that  thy  disciples  also  may  be- 
hold thy  works  which  thou  doest.  For  no  man  doeth  anything  in  secret, 
and  himself  seeketh  to  be  known  openly.  If  thou  doest  these  things, 
manifest  thyself  to  the  world.  For  even  his  brethren  did  not  believe  on 
him.  Jesus  therefore  saith  unto  them,  My  time  is  not  yet  come  ;  but  your 
time  is  alway  ready.  The  world  cannot  hate  you;  but  me  it  hateth,  be- 
cause I  testify  of  it,  that  its  works  are  evil.  Go  ye  up  unto  the  feast :  I  go 
not  up  yet  unto  this  feast  ;  because  my  time  is  not  yet  fulfilled.  And  hav- 
ing said  these  things  unto  them,  he  abode  still  in  Galilee. 

But  when  his  brethren  were  gone  up  unto  the  feast,  then  went  he  also 
up,  not  publicly,  but  as  it  were  in  secret.  The  Jews  therefore  sought  him 
at  the  feast,  and  said.  Where  is  he  ?  And  there  was  much  murmuring 
among  the  multitudes  concerning  him  :  some  said.  He  is  a  good  man  ; 
others  said.  Not  so,  but  he  leadeth  the  multitude  astray.  Howbeit  no  man 
spake  openly  of  him  for  fear  of  the  Jews. 

A  period  of  six  months  intervenes  between  the  events 
recorded  in  the  preceding  chapter  and  the  Lord's  visit  to 
the  festival  of  tabernacles,  recorded  in  the  seventh.  This 
feast  of  tabernacles,  one  of  the  three  great  festivals  of  the 
Jews, — Passover  and  Pentecost  being  the  other  two — 
was  the  gayest  and  most  joyous  of- all.  It  was  celebrated 
in  the  month  of  October  and  lasted  eight  days  ;  the  Jews 
during  this  time  dwelling  in  tents  or  huts  built  of  green 
boughs  on  the  streets  or  on  the  roofs  of  their  houses. 
"  Every  morning,  at  the  time  of  the  morning  sacrifice,  a 
98 


VII.  I-I3.]  CHAPTER   VII.  no 

golden  pitcher  was  filled  with  water  from  the  fountain  of 
Siloah  and,  with  a  song  of  thanksgiving,  was  poured  out 
at  the  side  of  the  altar  in  remembrance  of  the  miraculous 
supply  of  water  in  the  wilderness.  Every  evening,  at  the 
time  of  the  evening  sacrifice,  a  brilliant  light  blazed  forth 
from  golden  candlesticks  in  the  court  of  the  temple,  in 
remembrance  of  the  fiery  pillar  in  the  wilderness."  As 
this  festival  drew  nigh,  the  brothers  of  Jesus,  who  did 
not  yet  themselves  believe  in  Him,  urged  Him  to  go  up 
and  manifest  Himself  as  the  Messiah  in  Jerusalem  and 
Judaea,  where  He  had  formerly  been,  gathering  a  number 
of  disciples  (John  iv.  i.)  They  could  not  understand,  why 
the  Lord  should  hide  His  Messianic  authority  and  mirac- 
ulous powers  under  the  bushel,  in  obscure  Galilee.  They 
were  anxious  that  He  should  show  Himself  in  Judjea  and 
make  an  impression  there  on  the  ruling  classes.  But  they 
have  no  conception  of  the  real  attitude  of  the  world  towards 
Jesus  ;  that  it  hates  Him  for  His  testimony,  and  that 
such  a  manifestation  as  His  brothers  urge  Him  to  make, 
would  necessarily  lead  to  a  fatal  outburst  of  that  hatred. 
But  the  time  has  not  yet  come  for  this.  "This  feast" 
(ver.  8,  with  special  emphasis)  is  not  the  one  to  which  He 
will  go  up  as  Messiah-King,  to  manifest  Himself  to  His 
people.  The  Passover  of  the  following  year  is  appointed 
for  that.  And  then  the  great  crisis  will  come.  But  for 
the  present.  His  visit  to  this  feast  cannot  be  public,  but 
must  be,  as  it  were,  in  secret. 

(B.)   Three   Discourses   djiring  the  Feast   of  Tabernacles 
(vii.  14-36). 

I,   Christ's  Authority  for  Teaching  (vii.  14-24). 

14-24.  But  when  it  was  now  the  midst  of  the  feast  Jesus  went  up  into 
the  temple,  and  taught.  The  Jews  therefore  marvelled,  saying,  Howknow- 
eth   this   man  letters,  having   never  learned  ?     Jesus  therefore   answered 


loo  TIIF.   GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vii.  14-17. 

them,  and  said,  My  teaching  is  not  mine,  but  his  that  sent  me.  If  any  man 
willeth  to  do  his  will,  he  shall  know  of  the  teaching,  whether  it  be  of  God, 
or  whether  I  speak  from  myself.  He  that  speaketh  from  himself  seeketh  his 
own  glory :  but  he  that  seeketh  the  glory  of  him  that  sent  him,  the  same  is 
true,  and  no  unrighteousness  is  in  him.  Did  not  Moses  give  you  the  law, 
and  j^/'  none  of  you  doeth  the  law  .'  Why  seek  ye  to  kill  me  ?  The  multi- 
tude answered.  Thou  hast  a  devil  :  who  seeketh  to  kill  thee .'  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  I  did  one  work,  and  ye  all  marvel.  For 
this  cause  hath  Moses  given  you  circumcision  (not  that  it  i.i  of  Moses,  but 
of  the  fathers) ;  and  on  the  sabbath  ye  circumcise  a  man.  If  a  man  receiv- 
eth  circumcision  on  the  sabbath,  that  the  law  of  Moses  may  not  be  broken ; 
are  ye  wroth  with  me,  because  I  made  a  man  every  whit  whole  on  the 
sabbath  .''  Judge  not  according  to  appearance,  but  judge  righteous  judge- 
ment. 

It  was  undoubtedly  owing  to  the  special  summons  of 
the  Father  that  Jesus  went  to  the  sanctuary  and  taught 
pubhcly.  His  sudden  appearance,  while  causing  great 
surprise  and  anger  among  His  enemies,  created  a  deep 
impression  upon  the  multitude.  He  shows  such  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures.^  Who  had  been  His 
teacher?  Whence  His  theology  ?  Surely  not  from  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees.  The  doctrine  proclaimed  by  Christ, 
and  in  so  far  His  doctrine,  is  in  reality  the  Father's  that 
sent  Him.  What  a  humility  on  the  part  of  "the  only 
begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father  and 
hath  declared  Him  "  (John  i.  18).  Both  the  origin  and 
the  contents  of  His  doctrine  are  indicated  in  this  paradox. 
He  is  the  one  whom  the  Father  sent,  so  that  in  His  person 
the  law  and  the  prophecy,  and  all  the  hopes  and  ideals  of 
humanity  should  be  fulfilled,  He  being  the  way  and  the 
truth  and  the  life.  And  the  evidence  of  the  divine  char- 
acter and  authority  of  His  teaching  is  to  be  found  by  all 
those  who  honestly  will  to  do  the  P^ather's  will,  wherever 
that  will   may  be   found,  whether   in  the  Law,  or  in  the 

'  Not  "  letters,"  learning  in  general,  but  the  .Scriptures,  as  Luther  trans- 
lates.   Comp.  John  v.  47,  the  writings  of  Moses. 


VII.  17-23]  CHAPTER  VIL  lOi 

Prophets,  or  in  the  conscience  of  man.  The  moral  char- 
acter of  Christianity  is  the  testimony  of  its  divine  power 
and  authority.  It  is  the  Old  Testament  principle  :  "The 
fear  of  the  Lord — the  beginning  of  wisdom,"  which  is  here 
by  the  Lord  Himself  applied  to  the  New  Testament 
revelation  of  the  Gospel.  The  heart,  the  conscience,  the 
will  of  man  are  involved  in  his  search  after  truth. 
Wherever  there  is  an  honest  will,  an  upright,  sincere  res- 
olution, not  the  actual  doing,  or  perfection  in  doing,  the 
will  of  God  (which  is  impossible),  men  will  be  drawn  to 
Christ  ;  they  will  appreciate  the^/ft  of  God  in  the  Gospel, 
having  made  an  honest  effort  to  do  the  wiV/  of  God  as 
they  know  it.  The  humility  and  unselfishness  of  Christ, 
who  "  seeketh  not  His  own  glory,"  will  always  be  one  of 
the  most  prominent  features  that  impress  the  honest  in- 
quirer after  truth. 

But  how  about  His  adversaries  and  their  character  for 
uprightness  and  unselfishness?  The  Lord  boldly  and 
unsparingly  uncovers  their  murderous  designs,  to  the 
utter  amazement  of  the  people.  To  them  it  appears  as 
sheer  madness,  owing  to  demoniac  influences,  that  Christ 
should  make  such  a  statement.  The  leaders  know  better, 
and  to  them  the  Lord  addresses  the  following  argument, 
passing  without  notice  the  excited  interruptions  of  the 
multitude.  The  Lord  reminds  His  antagonists  of  that 
one  work  which  at  the  very  outset  had  provoked  their 
deadly  enmity,  the  healing  of  the  sick  man  at  the  pool  of 
Bethesda  on  the  Sabbath  day  (John  v.  1-18).  He  takes 
up  the  question  of  the  authority  of  the  Sabbatic  law  of 
Moses  and  beats  the  Jews  on  their  own  ground,  showing 
that  the  law  of  the  Sabbath  is  made  to  yield  to  the  law 
of  circumcision,  wherever  the  eighth  day  after  the  birth 
of  a  son  happens  to  be  a  Sabbath  day.  And  however 
important    circumcision    may  have   been   under  the  old 


I02  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vii.  25-27. 

covenant,  Christ's  act  of  healing  and  saving  the  whole 
man,  body  and  soul,  in  time  and  eternity  is  far  greater. 
If  it  be  right  and  lawful  to  apply  circumcision,  the  sign 
of  the  old  covenant,  to  the  newly-born  Israelite  on  the 
Sabbath  day,  who  will  deny  the  full  New  Testament  sal- 
vation offered  and  conveyed  by  Christ  on  the  day  of 
Sabbath,  to  a  son  of  Abraham  ? 


2.    WJicnce  is  Christ?  (vii.   25-32). 

25-32.  Some  therefore  of  them  of  Jerusalem  said,  Is  not  this  he  whom 
they  seek  to  kill .'  And  lo,  he  speaketh  openly,  and  they  say  nothing  unto 
him.  Can  it  be  that  the  rulers  indeed  know  that  this  is  the  Christ .'  How- 
beit  we  know  this  man  whence  he  is  :  but  when  the  Christ  cometh,  no  one 
knoweth  whence  he  is.  Jesus  therefore  cried  in  the  temple,  teaching  and 
saying,  Ye  both  know  me,  and  know  whence  I  am  ;  and  I  am  not  come  of 
myself,  but  he  that  sent  me  is  true,  whom  ye  know  not.  I  know  him  ;  be- 
cause I  am  from  him,  and  he  sent  me.  They  sought  therefore  to  take 
him :  and  no  man  laid  his  hand  on  him,  because  his  hour  was  not 
yet  come.  But  of  the  multitude  many  believed  on  him  ;  and  they  said. 
When  the  Christ  shall  come,  will  he  do  more  signs  than  those  which  this 
man  hath  done?  The  Pharisees  heard  the  multitude  murmuring  these 
things  concerning  him  ;  and  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees  sent  offi- 
cers to  take  him. 

As  the  Lord  in  the  preceding  section  had  proclaimed 
the  divine  origin  and  authority  of  His  doctrine,  He  now 
takes  occasion  to  proclaim  the  divine  authority  and 
origin  of  His  person.  The  boldness  of  His  utterances, 
and  the  hesitation  of  His  antagonists  to  say  anything 
against  Him,  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  people. 
The  thought  even  suggested  itself,  that  He  might  pos- 
sibly be  the  Messiah.  But  it  is  promptly  dismissed  by 
those  rnen  who  are  unable  or  unwilling  to  "  judge  right- 
eous judgment,"  who  will  always  "judge  according  to 
appearance."  The  Messiah's  origin  is  to  be  wrapped  in 
mystery,  but  the  pedigree  of  this  "  carpenter's  son  "  is 


VII.  2.S-34]  CHAPTER   VII.  103 

well  known  to  them  !  But  now  the  Lord  emphatically 
and  solemnly,  with  a  loud  voice,  testifies,  that  He  is  sent 
by  the  true  God  whom  they  do  not  know.  No  wonder 
therefore  that  they  also  fail  to  know  Him  and  the  mys- 
tery of  His  person.  For  it  is  in  bitter  irony  that  He 
says:  "  Ye  both  know  Me  and  know  whence  I  am."  The 
wavering  multitude  is  again  deeply  affected  by  this 
declaration  of  Jesus.  Could  He  not,  after  all,  be  the 
Messiah?  Could  any  more  signs  be  expected  of  the 
Messiah?  These  ominous  murmurings  lead  to  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Sanhedrim,  where  it  was  resolved  that  He 
should  at  once  be  arrested  and  tried.  But  the  fear  of 
the  multitude,  especially  of  the  pugnacious  Galileans, 
puts  off  the  execution  of  this  plan,  and  for  the  present  the 
Lord  remains  unmolested. 


3.  His  ApproacJiing  Departure  (vii.  33-36). 

33-36.  Jesus  therefore  said,  Yet  a  little  while  am  I  with  you,  and  I  go 
unto  him  that  sent  me.  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me  :  and 
where  I  am,  ye  cannot  come.  The  Jews  therefore  said  among  themselves 
Whither  will  this  man  go  that  we  shall  not  find  him?  will  he  go  unto  the 
Dispersion  among  the  Greeks,  and  teach  the  Greeks  ?  What  is  this  word 
that  he  said,  Ye  shall  seek  me,  and  shall  not  find  me  :  and  where  I  am,  ye 
cannot  come  ? 

A  solemn  testimony  intended  for  the  leaders  who  had 
just  sent  their  officers  to  seek  and  to  apprehend  Him. 
What  Jesus  here  says  is  the  warning  of  an  impending 
judgment  on  them.  He  who  had  so  often  invited  all 
inquirers  to  come  unto  Him,  who  had  given  His  assur- 
ance, "  Seek  and  ye  shall  find,"  now  speaks  of  a  time 
when  they  shall  seek  Him  but  not  find  Him, — a  righteous 
judgment  upon  those  who  are  planning  the  murder  of  the 
Messiah.     The  delegate   of    the   Father  returns  to   Him 


I04  THE  GOSPEL   OE  ST.  JOHN.  [vii.  35-37. 

who  sent  Him,  to  report  on  the  result  of  His  mission. 
(Compare  Luke  xiv.  21.)  But  His  menace  is  met  with 
sneers  and  derision.  He  will  depart  to  the  Gentiles, 
seeing  that  He  can  do  nothing  with  Israel,  the  people  of 
God  !  To  appreciate  the  true  meaning  of  these  words 
we  must  remember  the  unspeakable  contempt  with 
which  these  children  of  Abraham  looked  down  upon  the 
heathen.  And  yet  with  all  their  abuse  and  mockery 
they  become  true  prophets  of  the  time  Avhen  Christ's 
Gospel  of  salvation  turns  from  them  to  the  Gentiles. 
(See  Acts  xiii.  46.) 

(C.)    The  Discourses  on  the  Last  Day  of  the  Feast. 
I,  Jesus  tJie  Fountain   of  Life  (vii.  37-52). 
(rt'.)    Tlic  Words  of  the  L^ord  (vii.  37-39). 

37-39.  Now  on  the  last  day,  the  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood  and 
cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me,  and  drink.  He 
that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow 
rivers  of  living  water.  But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  be- 
lieved on  him  were  to  receive  :  for  the  Spirit  was  not  yet  giveti ;  because 
Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified. 

On  the  last  day,  the  most  joyous  and  exultant  of  the 
whole  celebration,  when,  at  the  fetching  of  the  water  and 
the  usual  libation,  Psalms  cxiii.-cxviii.  and,  possibly,  Isaiah 
xii.  3  were  sung,  Jesus  spoke  these  words,  standing  and 
crying  with  a  loud  voice.  They  are  in  a  different  spirit 
from  those  threatening  words  of  warning  which,  in  the 
preceding  section,  had  been  addressed  to  the  rulers. 
They  offer  once  more  a  kind  and  urging  invitation  to  all 
who  truly  hunger  and  thirst  after  His  righteousness. 
The  commonly  received  interpretation  finds  here  the 
statement,  that  the  believers,  having  tasted  the  goodness 


VII.  38,  39]  CHAPTER  VII.  105 

of  the  Lord  and  being  filled  with  His  Spirit,  will  them- 
selves become  springs  of  life  and  wells  of  salvation  to 
the  world.  (See  Matt.  v.  13,  14.  The  disciples,  the  salt 
and  the  light  of  the  world.)  But  the  words  of  comment 
which  the  Evangelist  adds  to  this  utterance  of  the  Lord 
seem  to  demand  a  different  interpretation.  According 
to  John's  understanding  the  "  rivers  of  living  water " 
meant  "the  Spirit  which  they  that  believed  on  Him  were 
to  receive."  That  Spirit  comes  from  Christ,  the 
"  fountain  of  the  Spirit,"  as  Iren<neus  calls  Him,  and 
therefore  the  words  "  out  of  his  belly  "  must  not  be  re- 
ferred to  the  individual  believer,  nor  even,  in  the  first 
place,  to  the  Church,  the  body  of  Christ,  but  to  Christ 
Himself,  the  Rock  (see  i  Corinth,  x.  4)  of  whom  it  was 
said  (Exodus  xvii.  6)  :  "  Thou  shalt  smite  the  Rock  and 
there  shall  qoxxxq  frojn  zvitliin  it  waters,  and  the  people 
shall  drink."  This  meaning  of  the  passage  becomes 
very  clear  if  we  adopt  a  different  punctuation,  reading  as 
follows,  without  the  slightest  change  of  the  original : 
"  If  any  man  thirst  let  him  come  [unto  Me]  and  let 
him  that  believeth  on  me,  drink  ;  as  it  is  written,"  etc.  ^ 

{b^    The  Division  in  the  Multitude  (vii.  40-44), 

40-44.  Some  of  the  multitude  therefore,  when  they  heard  these  words, 
said,  This  is  of  a  truth  the  prophet.  Others  said,  This  is  the  Christ.  But 
some  said,  What,  doth  the  Christ  come  out  of  Galilee  ?  Hath  not  the 
scripture  said  that  the  Christ  cometh  of  the  seed  of  David,  and  from  Beth- 
lehem, the  village  where  David  was  ?  So  there  arose  a  division  in  the 
multitude  because  of  him.  And  some  of  them  would  have  taken  him  ;  but 
no  man  laid  hands  on  him. 

The  effect  of  the  words  of  the  Lord   upon   the   multi- 

1  This  is  found  in  a  .Strassburg  edition  of  the  New  Testament  of  1524. 
Bengel  calls  it  a  plausible  punctuation  ;  and  men  like  Rambach,  Francke, 
Roos  and  Stier  have  adopted  it. 


io6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vii.  40-48. 

tude  is  here  described.  The  different  opinions  concern- 
ing Christ  which  are  here  represented,  remind  us  of  the 
account  given  by  the  disciples  concerning  the  thoughts 
of  the  people  (Matt.  xvi.  14  f.).  Some  deny  His  Messi- 
anic character  because  He  comes  from  Galilee.  They  are 
sure  that  Christ  must  be  born  in  Bethlehem,  the  city  of 
David,  as  the  Sanhedrim  itself,  years  ago,  correctly  an- 
swered the  question  of  the  Magi  (Matt.  ii.  5  compared 
with  Micah  v.  2).  And  yet  the  very  men  who  are  so  sure 
and  orthodox  concerning  Christ's  coming  from  Bethle- 
hem, are  ready  to  "  take  Him,"  when  the  officers  were 
sent  for  that  purpose. 

(^.)   TJie  Chief  Priests  and  Pharisees  (vii.  45-52). 

45-52.  The  officers  therefore  came  to  the  chief  priests  and  Pharisees ; 
and  they  said  unto  them,  Why  did  ye  not  bring  him  ?  The  officers  answered, 
Never  man  so  spake.  The  Pharisees  therefore  answered  them,  Are  ye  also 
led  astray.'  Hath  any  of  the  rulers  believed  on  him,  or  of  the  Pharisees.'' 
But  this  multitude  which  knoweth  not  the  law  are  accursed.  Nicodemus 
saith  unto  them  (he  that  came  to  him  before,  being  one  of  them),  Doth 
our  law  judge  a  man,  except  it  first  hear  from  himself  and  know  what  he 
doeth  }  They  answered  and  said  unto  him.  Art  thou  also  of  Galilee  } 
Search,  and  see  that  out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no  prophet. 

The  officers  return  without  their  prisoner  but  with  a 
remarkable  testimony  in  His  favor,  showing  the  deep 
impression  which  His  words  had  made  upon  them.  But 
this  testimony  arouses  the  highest  indignation  and  wrath 
on  the  part  of  the  Sanhedrim.  Never  before  did  they 
show  themselves  so  arrogant,  defiant  and  overbearing. 
The  example  and  authority  of  the  ''  rulers  and  Pharisees  " 
is  laid  down  as  the  absolute  standard,  to  be  followed 
blindly  by  the  people.  And  yet  even  in  this  sweeping  and 
passionate  statement  there  is  an  element  of  truth,  as  we 
find  in  i.   Cor.  i.  26  f.     But  what   a   cruel   contempt   and 


VII.  49-52]  CHAPTER  Vn.  107 

condemnation  of  "  this  accursed  multitude  which  know- 
eth  not  the  law!"  If  this  charge  was  correct,  who  was 
responsible  for  this  ignorance  of  the  multitude,  except 
they  themselves,  the  teachers  and  doctors  of  the  law  ? 
And  how  about  their  own  knowledge  and  observance  of 
the  law?  Nicodemus  has  the  presence  of  mind,  with  a 
ready  sarcasm,  to  apply  the  standard  of  the  law  to  the 
conduct  of  the  rulers.  They  certainly  know  what  is 
written  in  Exodus  xxiii.  i  and  Deuteronomy  i.  16  ff.  How 
can  they  judge  a  man,  contrary  to  the  letter  and  the 
spirit  of  the  law,  without  hearing  him?  But,  of  course. 
it  is  one  thing  to  know  the  law,  another  thing  to  remem- 
ber it  at  the  right  time,  and  to  do  it.  Nicodemus,  though 
here  for  the  first  time  taking  iiis  stand  against  the  rulers, 
is  still  extremely  cautious  and  diplomatic  in  his  dealings 
with  them.  He  has  not  a  word  to  say  directly  of  Christ, 
or  for  Christ.  He  takes  his  position  simply  on  the  law, 
the  acknowledged  stronghold  of  the  Pharisees  themselves. 
While  in  his  heart  he  means  to  defend  Christ,  by  his 
mouth  he  only  appears  as  an  advocate  of  the  law.  But 
he  will  not  be  able  to  deceive  them  for  any  length  of 
time.  His  true  sympathies  will  betray  him  sooner  or 
later.  With  the  instinct  of  partisanship  they  scent  the 
Galilean  in  him.  With  unparalleled  effrontery  they 
trample  upon  the  truth  :  "  Out  of  Galilee  ariseth  no 
prophet."  And  having  thus  flippantly  disposed  of  plain 
historical  facts,  of  Jonah,  and  Elijah,  and  Nahum,  and 
Hosea,  the  Galilean  prophets  of  Jewish  history,  they 
boldly  claim  this  flagrant  perversion  of  facts  as  the  result 
of  scientific  research,  and  undeniable  historical  evidence  : 
"  Search  and  see  !  " 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

i-ii.  [And  they  went  every  man  unto  his  own  house:  but  Jesus  went 
unto  the  mount  of  Olives.  And  early  in  the  morning  he  came  again  into 
the  temple,  and  all  the  people  came  unto  him ;  and  he  sat  down,  and 
taught  them.  And  the  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees  bring  a  woman  taken  in 
adultery ;  and  having  set  her  in  the  midst,  they  say  unto  him.  Master,  this 
woman  hath  been  taken  in  adultery,  in  the  very  act.  Now  in  the  law 
Moses  commanded  us  to  stone  such :  what  then  sayest  thou  of  her  ?  And 
this  they  said,  tempting  him,  that  they  might  have  -d)hereof\.o  accuse  him. 
But  Jesus  stooped  down,  and  with  his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  But 
when  they  continued  asking  him,  he  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  them. 
He  that  is  without  sin  among  you,  let  him  first  cast  a  stone  at  her.  And 
again  he  stooped  down,  and  with  his  finger  wrote  on  the  ground.  And 
they,  when  they  heard  it,  went  out  one  by  one,  beginning  from  the  eldest, 
even  unto  the  last :  and  Jesus  was  left  alone,  and  the  woman  where  she  was, 
in  the  midst.  And  Jesus  lifted  up  himself,  and  said  unto  her,  Woman, 
where  are  they  ?  did  no  man  condemn  thee .'  And  she  said,  No  man, 
Lord.  And  Jesus  said.  Neither  do  I  condemn  thee:  go  thy  way;  from 
henceforth  sin  no  more.] 

This  passage,  we  are  convinced,  does  not  originally  belong  to  the  fourth 
Gospel.  It  is  not  found  in  the  best  and  most  ancient  manuscripts,  such  as 
the  Sinaitic  (n)  the  Vatican  (B),  probably  also  the  Alexandrine  (A)  Codex. 
The  ancient  Syriac  version  (Peshitto)  omits  it.  The  most  prominent  and 
learned  of  the  Fathers  have  no  knowledge  of  it.  The  language  is  not  that 
of  John.  Its  whole  spirit  and  character  is  that  of  the  Synoptists.  Even 
those  manuscripts  that  contain  it,  show  great  uncertainty  as  to  the  correct 
text.  The  twelve  verses  have  more  than  sixty  various  readings.  Nor  is 
there  a  full  agreement  in  the  place  assigned  to  this  section  ;  some  have  it 
after  John  vii.  52,  others  after  John  vii.  36,  others  at  the  end  of  the  fourth 
Gospel,  others  after  Luke  xxi.  The  passage- clearly  interrupts  the  context 
of  John's  Gospel  at  this  point.  Without  it,  there  is  a  steady  progress  and 
clear  connection  between  the  end  of  the  seventh  chapter  and  the  continua- 
tion of  the  Lord's  discourses  in  viii.  12,  ff.  But  the  event  narrated  in  these 
verses  undoubtedly  belongs  to  the  life  of  Christ.     It  is  a  fact  and  no  fic- 

108 


vin.  12.]  CHAPTER  VIII.  109 

tion.  Most  likely  it  belongs  to  the  last  days  after  the  Lord's  entrance  into 
Jerusalem,  when  He  was  constantly  beset  with  trying  questions,  mostly 
concerning  the  law,  by  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees.  The  Lord's  going  out  in 
the  evening  to  the  Mount  of  Olives  and  returning  to  the  temple  early  in  the 
morning  fits  exactly  into  the  history  of  those  last  days  before  His  passion 
and  death.     See  Luke  xxi.  37,  38. 

We  continue  our  exposition  with  the  following  section  : 


2.  Jesus  the  Light  of  the  World  {y\\\.  12-20). 

12-20.  Again  therefore  Jesus  spake  unto  them,  saying,  I  am  the  light  of 
the  world  :  he  that  followeth  me  shall  not  walk  in  the  darkness,  but  shall 
have  the  light  of  life.  The  Pharisees  therefore  said  unto  him.  Thou  bear- 
est  witness  of  thyself;  thy  witness  is  not  true.  Jesus  answered  and  said 
unto  them.  Even  if  I  bear  witness  of  myself,  my  witness  is  true  ;  for  I 
know  whence  I  came,  and  whither  I  go  ;  but  ye  know  not  whence  I  come, 
or  whither  I  go.  Ye  judge  after  the  flesh;  I  judge  no  man.  Yea,  aud  if 
I  judge,  my  judgement  is  true;  for  I  am  not  alone,  but  I  and  the  P'ather 
that  sent  me.  Yea  and  in  your  law  it  is  written,  that  the  witness  of  two 
men  is  true.  I  am  he  that  beareth  witness  of  myself,  and  the  Father  that 
sent  me  beareth  witness  of  me.  They  said  therefore  unto  him,  Where  is 
thy  Father .'  Jesus  answered.  Ye  know  neither  me,  nor  my  Father  :  if  ye 
knew  me,  ye  would  know  my  Father  also.  These  words  spake  he  in  the 
treasury,  as  he  taught  in  the  temple :  and  no  man  took  him  ;  because  his 
hour  was  not  yet  come. 

The  Lord,  in  speaking  these  words,  is  found  essentially 
in  the  same  surroundings  as  in  the  previous  section. 
Possibly  the  lighting  of  the  large  candelabra  in  the  inner 
court  may  have  suggested  this  new  theme.  But  it  was 
certainly  a  scriptural  idea,  set  forth  in  numerous  prophet- 
ical passages,  such  as  Isaiah  xlii.  6,  xlix.  6,  ix.  2,  Ix.  3. 
(The  Messiah  "  a  light  of  the  Gentiles,"  and  "  My  salva- 
tion unto  the  end  of  the  earth  "  ;  "  They  that  dwell  in  the 
land  of  the  shadow  of  death,  upon  them  hath  the  light 
shined.")  As  indicated  even  in  these  Old  Testament 
passages,  the  divine  idea  of  light  implies  salvation  and 
life  for  those  that  are  rescued  from  the  dominion  of 
darkness.     It    is   not    the   light    of  a  purely  theoretical 


no  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  Viii.  12-20. 

knowledge,  but  has  an  eminently  practical  meaning.  To 
be  filled  with  this  light  is  the  end  of  our  walking  in  dark- 
ness and  the  beginning  of  having  the  light  of  life,  follow- 
ing the  Lord  Jesus  as  the  Saviour  and  the  Leader. 

The  opposition  of  the  Pharisees  is  growing  more  bitter 
with  every  new  step  in  the  Lord's  argument.  Their  in- 
terruptions are  becoming  more  frequent,  impatient  and 
venomous.  The  "  Light  of  the  World  "  is  promptly  at- 
tacked and  denounced  as  a  false  witness.  Light  and 
truth  belong  together.  How  can  He  be  the  "  Light  of 
the  World,"  if  His  testimony  is  not  true?  They  deny 
His  authority  and  right  to  testify  of  Himself.  But  what 
would  the  light  be,  if  it  did  not  testify  of  itself?  Who 
will  deny  this  innate  right  and  power  to  the  "  Light  of 
the  World  "  ?  As  the  sun  shines,  so  the  Light  of  the 
World  must  testify  of  its  own  presence  and  blessed  in- 
fluence ;  otherwise  it  would  cease  to  be  light ;  it  would 
become  one  of  the  powers  of  darkness.  True,  the  Lord 
had  once  Himself  admitted  :  "  If  I  bear  witness  of  My- 
self, My  witness  is  not  true  "  (John  v.  31).  But  there  He 
spoke  of  Himself  xarri  ffdjr/.a,  according  to  the  flesh,  simply 
as  man,  like  other  men  and  teachers.  But  here  He  takes 
a  higher  stand,  asserting  His  divine  authority.  Of  this 
He  is  fully  conscious,  and  it  must  be  part  of  His  testi- 
mony to  the  world  and  a  very  important  part  of  it.  So 
He  appeals  to  that  same  principle  of  the  law,  on  which 
His  enemies  claim  to  stand  :  "  that  the  witness  of  two 
7nen  is  true."  If  that  be  so,  how  much  more  the  witness 
which  is  borne  by  Himself  and  the  Father!  This  appeal 
is  met  with  the  sneering  question  :  "  Where  is  thy 
Father?"  The  Lord  answers  it  with  a  solemn  warning: 
Not  to  know  the  Son  is  not  to  know  the  Father.  To 
listen  to  the  Son,  to  come  to  Him,  to  know  Him  and  to 
have  Him  is  to  know  and  to  have  the  Father.     But  these 


VIII.  21-23.]  CHAPTER   rin.  Ill 

men  will  reject  the  Father's  testimony  as  well  as  that  of 
the  Son.     The  two  witnesses  are  lost  on  them. 


3.    The  Lifting  up  of  the  Son  of  Man  (viii.  21-30). 

21-30.  He  said  therefore  again  unto  them,  I  go  away,  and  ye  shall  seek 
me,  and  shall  die  in  your  sin  :  whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come.  The  Jews 
therefore  said.  Will  he  kill  himself,  that  he  saith,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot 
come?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  from  beneath;  I  am  from  above: 
ye  are  of  this  world ;  I  am  not  of  this  world.  I  said  therefore  unto  you, 
that  ye  sliall  die  in  your  sins  :  for  e.xcept  ye  believe  that  I  am  /le,  ye  shall 
die  in  your  sins.  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  Who  art  thou  .-'  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  Even  that  which  I  have  also  spoken  unto  you  from  the  begin- 
ning. I  have  many  things  to  speak  and  to  judge  concerning  you  :  howbeit 
he  that  sent  me  is  true ;  and  the  things  which  I  heard  from  him,  these  speak 
I  unto  the  world.  They  perceived  not  that  he  spake  to  them  of  the  Father. 
Jesus  therefore  said,  When  ye  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  then  shall 
ye  know  that  I  am  /u;  and  that  I  do  nothing  of  myself,  but  as  the  Father 
taught  me,  I  speak  these  things.  And  he  that  sent  me  is  with  me;  he  hath 
not  left  me  alone ;  for  I  do  always  the  things  that  are  pleasing  to  him.  As 
he  spake  these  things,  many  believed  on  him. 

Another  and  more  emphatic  reference  to  Christ's  im- 
pending departure,  which  means  for  many  of  the  Jews 
the  terrible  judgment  of  "dying  in  their  sin";  not  the 
ruin  of  the  nation  as  such,  but  the  damnation  of  the  in- 
dividuals, who  will  persist  in  their  unbelief  and  thus  be 
lost  in  their  sinful  state.  The  men  who  are  bent  on 
becoming  instrumental  in  His  "removal,"  as  they  are 
already  planning  to  murder  Him,  interrupt  Him  with  a 
venomous  suggestion  of  suicide,  the  most  horrible  and 
damnable  way  of  "  departing  "  in  the  eyes  of  the  Jews, 
The  Lord's  answer  to  this  infernal  charge  of  His  enemies 
proves,  indeed,  that  He  is  "  from  above,"  while  they  are 
"  from  beneath," — not  simply  from  the  earth,  from  this 
world.  Deeper,  more  infernal  depths  seem  to  be  indi- 
cated, from  which  their  thoughts  take  their  origin.  See 
ver.  44,  where  the  full  meaning  of  this  "  xdrw''  ("from 


112  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [viii.  24-29. 

beneath")  is  revealed  in  the  statement :  "  Ye  are  of  your 
father,  the  devil."  In  striking  contrast  to  tliis  character 
of  the  Jews,  the  Lord  now  fully  reveals  Himself  as  the 
Saviour,  the  Messiah  of  His  people.  He  is  the  one  who 
saves  men  from  dying  in  their  sin.  And  the  only  way 
to  be  delivered  from  this  state  of  perdition  is  to  believe 
in  Him,  to  believe  that  He  is  the  promised  Messiah,  the 
way,  the  truth  and  the  life,  as  Isaiah  says  (xliii.  10,  11), 
"  that  ye  may  know  and  believe  Me  and  understand  that 
I  am  He;  I,  even  I,  am  the  Lord  and  besides  Me  there 
is  no  Saviour." 

The  question  of  the  Jews :  "  Who  art  thou  ?  "  is  not 
to  be  taken  as  the  honest  question  of  an  inquirer.  It  is 
too  late  for  that.  Wherever  that  question  had  been 
found  in  the  heart  of  a  true  Israelite,  without  guile,  it 
had  been  abundantly  answered  by  the  Lord  in  His  pre- 
ceding declarations.  But  in  the  mouth  of  these  men  it 
is  a  contemptuous  and  indignant  rejection  of  Christ's 
Messianic  declaration.  The  Lord,  however,  undisturbed 
by  their  interruption,  afifirms  even  more  directly  and  em- 
phatically, that  the  word  He  speaks,  and  by  which  He  is 
revealed  as  the  incarnate  Word,  that  "  hath  declared  the 
Father,"  is  the  true  answer  to  their  question.  I  am,  He 
says,  principally  and  absolutely,  the  very  one  I  claim  to 
be  in  what  I  speak,  in  My  words  and  testimony.  But,  as 
He  testifies  of  Himself,  He  also  testifies  concerning  His 
antagonists,  their  sin  and  their  judgment ;  and  this  testi- 
mony is  as  true  as  that  which  reveals  His  own  person. 
The  time  will  come  when  they  shall  find  out  who  He  is, 
when  they  have  lifted  Him  up  on  the  cross.  The  Father 
who  is  with  Him,  even  through  those  darkest  hours,  will 
vindicate  Him  fully  by  His  glorification,  declaring  Him 
to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power  by  the  resurrection 
from   the   dead  (Rom.  i.  4).     For  the    "  lifting   up "  of 


VIII.  30-32.]  CHAPTER   Vni.  113 

the  Lord  certainly  includes  the  crown  as  well  as  the  cross, 
and  it  is  the  glory  following  the  passion  that  will  open 
the  eyes  of  some  of  the  Jews;  though,  of  course,  in  lift- 
ing Him  up  on  the  cross,  they  never  dreamed  of  becom- 
ing the  means  to  His  glorification. 

4.   Last   Words  on  and  after   the  Feast   of  Tabernacles 
(viii.   31-59)- 

{a>j    Whose  Servants  are  the  Jews?  (viii.  31-36). 

31-36.  Jesus  therefore  said  to  those  Jews  which  had  believed  him,  If 
ye  abide  in  my  word,  then  are  ye  truly  my  disciples ;  and  ye  shall  know 
the  truth,  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free.  They  answered  unto  him, 
We  be  Abraham's  seed,  and  have  never  yet  been  in  bondage  to  any  man  : 
how  sayest  thou,  Ye  shall  be  made  free  .^  Jesus  answered  them,  Verily, 
verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Every  one  that  committeth  sin  is  the  bondservant  of 
sin.  And  the  bondservant  abideth  not  in  the  house  for  ever:  the  Son 
abideth  for  ever.  If  therefore  the  Son  shall  make  you  free,  ye  shall  be  free 
indeed. 

The  preceding  testimony  of  the  Lord  had  wrought  a 
beginning  of  faith  in  a  number  of  Jews.  They  "  believed 
Him."  There  was  a  certain  willingness  to  receive  His 
word,  yea,  to  accept  Him  as  their  Messiah,  provided  that 
He  should  satisfy  their  Messianic  notions  and  expecta- 
tions. "Believing  Jews"  is  certainly  a  startling  com- 
bination in  the  gospel  of  St.  John,  a  kind  of  contradictio 
in  adjecto,  a  paradox.  There  is  a  conflict  between  those 
two  words  and  it  must  be  settled.  Will  "  the  Jew  "  ob- 
tain the  victory  over  that  incipient  faith,  or  vice  versa? 
The  Lord  knows  their  hearts  with  the  Jewish  leaven 
they  still  contain.  And  He  at  once  proceeds  to  test 
their  faith.  Will  they  abide  in  His  word  ?  that  is  the 
question.  Will  they  recognize  and  appreciate  the  true 
spiritual  liberty,  offered  and  conveyed  by  His  everlasting 
truth,  or  will  they  still  cling  to  their  own  phantoms  of 
8 


114  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [vm.  32-36. 

liberty,  to  be  realized  by  a  Messiah  after  their  own  heart, 
in  breaking  the  yoke  of  Roman  bondage  ?  There  is  a 
fascination  even  for  the  natural  man,  that  has  not  cast 
off  every  ideal,  in  those  two  words  :  truth  and  freedom. 
But  nowhere  are  they  to  be  realized  except  in  Christ. 
Truth  first  and  then  freedom.  To  be  bound  to  God  by 
His  everlasting  truth,  is  to  be  free  from  the  deception  of 
error,  from  the  bondage  of  sin,  and  of  the  laws  and  tradi- 
tions of  men.^  But  the  self-righteous,  proud  and  phari- 
saic  spirit  of  those  "  believing  Jews  "  is  at  once  aroused 
by  the  Lord's  reference  to  their  delivery  from  a  state  of 
bondage.  "  We  have  never  yet  been  in  bondage  to  any 
man."  Is  it  possible  that  they  should  have  forgotten 
the  bondage  of  "  Abraham's  seed  "  in  Egypt,  under  the 
Philistines  and  surrounding  nations,  in  Babylonia  and 
now  under  Roman  rule  ?  It  can  hardly  be  that  they 
mean  to  refer  to  their  national,  political  independence. 
But  they  claim  true  spiritual  liberty  and  independence  in 
the  sphere  of  religion.  They  are  the  Lord's  temple, 
"  the  guide  of  the  blind,  a  light  of  them  which  are  in 
darkness,  having  the  form  of  knowledge  and  of  the  truth 
in  the  law"  (Rom.  ii.  19,20).  The  Lord  therefore  must 
speak  more  plainly  and  directly  of  the  freedom  He  offers 
them  in  His  word  of  truth.  He  appeals  to  their  con- 
science by  introducing  sin  and  its  servitude,  for  which 
they,  that  are  under  it,  are  fully  responsible,  because  by 
their  own  act  they  "commit"  sin.  And  the  consequence 
of  this  bondage  to  sin  is  the  forfeiture  of  sonship  in  the 
Father's  house.  The  true  Son  9f  the  house  alone,  who 
abideth  forever,  can  free  those  bondservants  and  restore 
them  to  their  position  as  children. 

^  See  Luther's  two  great  Reformation-Manifestos  of  1520:  On  the 
Babylonian  Captivity  of  the  Church ;  and  The  Freedom  of  the  Christian 
Man. 


VIII.  37-42-]  CHAPTER   VIII.  115 

{b^   Wliosc  Children  arc  the  Jezvs?  (viii.  37-47). 
(Not  Abraham's  ;  not  God's  ;  but  the  Devil's.) 

37-47.  I  know  that  ye  are  Abraham's  .seed;  yet  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  be- 
cause my  word  hath  not  free  course  in  you.  I  speak  the  things  which  I 
have  seen  with  my  Father:  and  ye  also  do  the  things  which  ye  heard  from 
your  father.  They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Our  father  is  Abraham. 
Jesus  saith  unto  them,  If  ye  were  Abraham's  children,  ye  would  do  the 
works  of  Abraham.  But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told  you 
the  truth,  which  I  heard  from  God :  this  did  not  Abraham.  Ye  do  the 
works  of  your  father.  They  said  unto  him.  We  were  not  born  of  fornica- 
tion ;  we  have  one  Father,  even  God.  Jesus  said  unto  them.  If  God  were 
your  Father,  ye  would  love  me  :  for  I  came  forth  and  am  come  from  God  ; 
for  neither  have  I  come  of  myself,  but  he  sent  me.  Why  do  ye  not  under- 
stand my  speech  ?  Even  because  ye  cannot  hear  my  word.  Ye  are  oiyour 
father  the  devil,  and  the  lust.s  of  your  father  it  is  your  will  to  do.  He  was 
a  murderer  from  the  beginning,  and  stood  not  in  the  truth,  because  there  is 
no  truth  in  him.  When  he  speaketh  a  lie,  he  speaketh  of  his  own  :  for  he 
is  a  liar,  and  the  father  thereof.  But  because  I  say  the  truth,  ye  believe  me 
not.  Which  of  you  convicteth  me  of  sin  ?  If  I  say  truth,  why  do  ye  not 
believe  me  ?  He  that  is  of  God  heareth  the  words  of  God  :  for  this  cause 
ye  hear  thc7n  not,  because  ye  are  not  of  God. 

The  Lord  readily  admits  the  historical  fact  that  the 
Jews  are  Abraham's  seed  according  to  their  natural 
descent.  But  He  denies  that  they  are  Abraham's  true 
children  in  a  spiritual  sense,  because  they  show  a  very 
different  spirit  from  that  of  Abraham.  The  difference  of 
spirit  points  to  a  difference  of  origin.  On  the  one  side 
Christ  speaking  the  things  which  He  has  by  direct  intui- 
tion from  His  Father ;  on  the  other  side  the  Jews  doing 
the  things  which  they  have  from  their  father  by  hearing 
his  deceitful  and  malignant  suggestions.  The  manner  in 
which  they  receive  what  He  tells  them  from  the  Father, 
their  opposition  to  His  word,  which  takes  no  root  and 
makes   no    headway    with    them,    proves   that   they  are 


Ii6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [viii.  40-44. 

neither  Abraham's  nor  God's  children.  Their  inspiration 
is  from  a  different  source,  as  clearly  shown  by  their  mur- 
derous intentions.  Instead  of  loving  Him,  the  Father's 
Son  and  messenger,  they  seek  to  kill  Him,  a  man  who 
tells  them  the  truth  which  He  has  from  God,  yea  who  is 
Himself  of  God.  What  a  climax  :  first  homicide,  next 
murdering  truth;  finally  deicide  !  Such  a  state  of  things 
has  only  one  explanation  :  they  are  the  children  of  the 
devil,  in  full  accord  with  him,  moved  by  his  spirit,  iilled 
with  his  desire  to  destroy  both  truth  and  life,  that  is,  to 
lie  and  to  kill.  By  this  statement  the  Lord  teaches  no 
Manicheism  or  Gnostic  dualism,  dividing  the  world  and 
the  race  absolutely  and  helplessly  between  God  and  the 
devil.  He  holds  them  morally  responsible  for  this  rela- 
tion of  sonship  to  the  devil.  It  is  their  ivill  to  do  his 
lusts.  In  the  realm  of  their  innermost  thoughts  and  in- 
clinations they  place  themselves  in  accord  with  the  devil 
by  their  own  volition  and  decision.  The  nature  and 
spirit  of  their  father,  the  devil,  is  fully  characterized  in 
the  44th  verse.  He  is  the  murderer  and  liar  from  the 
beginning,  that  is,  the  first  to  introduce  such  perversion, 
the  destruction  of  life  and  truth,  into  God's  creation,  by 
seducing  the  first  man  to  sin  and  thus  bringing  death 
upon  him.  And  back  of  this  murderous  act  of  his  there 
is  his  own  attitude  and  decision  with  reference  to  God's 
truth.  "  He  stood  not  in  the  truth,"  or,  as  the  author- 
ized version  and  also  Luther's  have  it :  "  he  abode  not  in 
the  truth."  We  are  aware  that  a  strictly  philological  in- 
terpretation emphasizes  the  present  state  and  condition 
of  Satan  as  denoted  by  the  Greek  verb  here  used.  Even 
Bengel  insists  that  the  Lord  refers,  not  to  the  fall,  but  to 
the  present  state  ('*  non  lapsus  sed  status  ")  of  the  devil. 
And  yet  this  present  "  status  "  clearly  implies  the  idea 
of  his  not  continuing  in  the  truth,  and  points  to  the  his- 


VIII.  44-47-]  CHAPTER   Vin.  11*^ 

torical  fact  of  a  fall  (lapsus)  by  which  it  must  have  been 
preceded.  Thus  we  are  brought  back  to  the  authorized 
version,  with  which  the  Latin,  German,  French,  Italian, 
Dutch  and  Spanish  translations  agree.  It  is  now  the 
very  nature  of  the  devil  to  lie,  with  no  idea  of  a  pos- 
sibility of  his  ever  speaking  the  truth.  For  when  the 
devil  speaks  the  truth  he  is  lying  most  outrageously. 
And  yet  there  is  a  difference  between  this  father  of  liars 
and  his  children.  When  the  Jews  hate  and  pervert  the 
truth  they  speak  after  their  father.  When  the  devil  lies 
"  he  speaketh  of  his  own."  With  him  it  is  original  and 
primary,  with  his  children  it  is  secondary  and  derived. 
But  under  the  influence  of  their  father  these  Jews  are  so 
far  estranged  from  truth,  that  they  oppose  and  hate 
Christ  because  He  saith  the  truth  ;  the  very  essence  of 
devilry  !  The  whole  argument  is  summed  up  by  the 
Lord  in  a  purely  negative  form  :  "  Ye  are  not  of  God." 
This  is,  of  course,  essentially  the  same  as  "ye  are  of  your 
father,  the  devil,"  but  it  is  a  much  gentler  expression,  in 
harmony  with  the  renewed  and  urgent  entreaty  :  "  Why 
do  ye  not  believe  Me  ?  " 

(r.)  TJic  Eternal  Majesty  of  Christ  (viii.  48-59). 

48-59.  The  Jews  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Say  we  not  well  that  thou 
art  a  Samaritan,  and  hast  a  devil  ?  Jesus  answered,  I  have  not  a  devil ; 
but  I  honour  my  Father,  and  ye  dishonour  me.  But  I  seek  not  mine  own 
glory:  there  is  one  that  seeketh  and  judgeth.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you.  If  a  man  keep  my  word,  he  shall  never  see  death.  The  Jews  said 
unto  him,  Now  we  know  that  thou  hast  a  devil.  Abraham  is  dead,  and 
the  prophets  ;  and  thou  sayest,  If  a  man  keep  my  word,  he  shall  never 
taste  of  death.  Art  thou  greater  than  our  father  Abraham,  which  is  dead  ? 
and  the  prophets  are  dead  :  whom  makest  thou  thyself.''  Jesus  answered. 
If  I  glorify  myself,  my  glory  is  nothing:  it  is  my  father  that  glorifieth  me; 
of  whom  ye  say,  that  he  is  your  CJod;  and  ye  have  not  known  him:  but  I 
know  him ;  and  if  I  should  say,  I  know  him  not,  I  shall  be  like  unto  you,  a 
liar:  but  I  know  him,  and  keep  his  word.     Your  father  Abraham  rejoiced 


Il8  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  JOHX.  [viii.  4S-51. 

to  see  my  day ;  and  he  saw  it,  and  was  glad.  The  Jews  therefore  said  unto 
him,  Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,  and  hast  thou  seen  Abraham  ?  Jesus 
said  unto  them,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Before  Abraham  was,  I  am. 
Th'=!y  took  up  stones  therefore  to  cast  at  him :  but  Jesus  hid  himself,  and 
went  out  of  the  temple.  ^ 


In  these  verses  the  dispute  between  the  Lord  and  the 
Jews  reaches  its  cHmax,  the  Jews  charging  Him  with 
having  a  demon,  and  finally  throwing  stones  at  Him  as  a 
blasphemer.  First  they  call  Him  a  Samaritan,  an  apos- 
tate from  the  orthodox  Israelitic  faith,  who  has  separated 
himself  from  the  covenant  of  Abraham's  seed.  To  this 
they  add  the  even  more  serious  charge,  that  He  "  has  a 
devil."  This  is  to  be  distinguished  from  the  Scripture- 
term  which  designates  those  unfortunate  ones  who  were 
possessed  by  the  devil.  It  is  a  clumsy  return  of  His 
charge  that  they  are  the  children  of  the  devil.  It  re- 
minds us  of  what  is  said  of  Judas  Iscariot,  "  Satan  en- 
tered into  him  "  (John  xiii.  27).  But  terrible  as  it  may 
sound,  if  Christ's  words  are  mere  presumption  and  not 
absolute  truth,  then  no  words  of  condemnation  are  too 
strong  for  Him.  In  His  answer  the  Lord  makes  no 
reference  to  the  title  "  Samaritan,"  not  only  because  He 
meant  to  spare  the  Samaritans,  among  whom  His  word 
had  gained  many  believers,  but  also  because  in  the  fullest 
sense  of  the  word  He  is  Himself  "  the  good  Samaritan  " 
whose  picture  He  drew  in  Luke  x,  30-37.  But  the  other 
charge  He  cannot  pass  unnoticed.  He  positively  rejects 
and  disproves  it  by  the  fact  that  "  He  honors  His 
Father."  And  surely,  the  God  who  has  said  :  "  Them 
that  honour  Me,  I  will  honour  "  (i  Sam.  ii.  30),  must  vin- 
dicate the  honor  of  Christ.  He  will  seek  it  and  judge. 
And  this  vindication  consists  in  the  fact,  that  those  who 
keep  Christ's  word,  believing  His  doctrine,  trusting  His 
promise  and  obeying  His  mandate,  shall  not  see  death, 


VIII.  51-5S]  CHAPTER  VIII.  UQ 

but  have  everlasting  life  and  salvation.^  This  assurance 
of  the  Lord  certainly  includes  the  triumph  also  over  the 
terrors  of  physical  death  on  the  part  of  the  believer. 
The  Jews,  however,  misrepresent  and  twist  His  words  by 
confining  their  meaning  exclusively  to  physical  death  ; 
though  they  are  correct  in  recognizing  in  them  a  claim 
of  superiority  over  Abraham  and  the  prophets.  This  is 
what  they  are  determined  to  deny  under  all  circumstances, 
but  this  is  the  very  centre  of  all  the  teaching  of  the  Lord. 
In  answer  to  their  charge  of  unbearable  presumption 
("  What  makest  Thou  Thyself?  ")  the  Lord  again  asserts 
His  humility.  It  is  the  Father  that  glorifieth  Him. 
And  to  the  Father  He  leaves  it.  His  personal  relation 
to  the  Father  is  very  strongly  emphasized  by  Him  in  this 
connection,  over  against  the  pretension  of  the  Jews  that 
"  He  is  their  God."  "  My  Father,"  this  is  the  sum  and 
substance  of  His  testimony  from  the  first  word  in  the 
temple  to  the  last  word  on  the  cross.  Having  thus  es- 
tablished His  filial  relation  to  the  Father,  He  explains 
more  particularly  His  relation  to  Abraham,  showing  to 
the  full  extent  His  superiority  over  him.  Two  distinct 
statements  are  made  :  "  Abraham  rejoiced  to  see  His 
day,"  when  he  received  the  promise  concerning  his  seed 
and  was  looking  forward  in  faithful  expectancy  to  its 
fulfilment.  "  And  he  saw  it  and  was  glad,"  referring  to 
Christ's  historical  advent  in  the  flesh,  which  was  made 
known  to  Abraham,  as  probably  to  other  departed  saints, 
in  the  other  world.  This  whole  testimony  culminates  in 
that  wonderful  word,  which  truly  reflects  the  heavenly 
glorj^  of  the  everlasting  Son  :  "  Before  Abraham  was,  I 

1  On  February  17th,  1546,  the  day  before  his  death,  Luther  wrote  the 
following  words  in  the  album  of  a  friend :  "  We  must  all  meet  death  and 
depart ;  but  the  Christian  does  not  taste  nor  see  death ;  he  is  not  afraid  of 
it,  as  other  men." 


I20  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [viii.  59. 

am."  Here  is  the  antithesis  of  the  finite  and  the  Infinite, 
the  creature  and  the  Creator.^  He  who  is  before  Abra- 
ham has  had  His  day,  came  into  human  existence  in 
space  and  time  (John  i.  14).  The  Jews  fully  and  cor- 
rectly understood  the  Lord  as  claiming  in  these  words 
divine  character  and  majesty.  They  therefore  promptly 
proceed  to  inflict  the  punishment  which  the  Mosaic  law 
prescribed  for  the  blasphemer  (Leviticus  xxiv.  16).  At 
this  critical  moment  the  Lord  disappears  from  among 
His  people  and  from  their  temple,  an  indication  of  the 
impending  withdrawal  of  His  presence  from  Israel,  when 
His  word  is  to  be  fulfilled  :  "  Behold  your  house  is  left 
unto  you  desolate  "  (Matt,  xxiii.  38). 

1  Agnoscite  Creatorem  ;  discernite  creaturam .  Augustine. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Conflict  with  the  Unbelieving  Jews  Reach- 
ing ITS  Climax  (Ch.  ix,  to  xii.). 

I.  The  Healing  of  the  Man  Born  Blind  (ch.  ix.). 
{a)   The  Fact  itself  {\y..  1-12). 

r-l2.  And  as  he  passed  by,  he  saw  a  man  bUnd  from  his  birth.  And 
his  disciples  asked  him,  saying.  Rabbi,  who  did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  par- 
ents, that  he  should  be  born  blind  ?  Jesus  answered.  Neither  did  this  man 
sin,  nor  his  parents  :  but  that  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest 
in  him.  We  must  work  the  works  of  him  that  sent  me,  while  it  is  day:  the 
night  Cometh,  when  no  man  can  work.  When  I  am  in  the  world,  I  am  the 
light  of  the  world.  When  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  spat  on  the  ground,  and 
made  clay  of  the  spittle,  and  anointed  his  eyes  with  the  clay,  and  said  unto 
him,  Go,  wash  in  the  pool  of  Siloam  (which  is  by  interpretation,  Sent). 
He  went  away  therefore,  and  washed,  and  came  seeing.  The  neighbours 
therefore,  and  they  which  saw  him  aforetime,  that  he  was  a  beggar,  said. 
Is  not  this  he  that  sat  and  begged  ?  Others  said,  It  is  he  :  others  said.  No, 
but  he  is  like  him.  He  said,  I  am  he.  They  said  therefore  unto  him.  How 
then  were  thine  eyes  opened.'  He  answered.  The  man  that  is  called  Jesus 
made  clay,  and  anointed  mine  eyes,  and  said  unto  me,  Go  to  Siloam,  and 
wash  :  so  I  went  away  and  washed,  and  I  received  sight.  And  they  said 
unto  him,  Where  is  he .''     He  saith,  I  know  not. 

There  is  no  interval  of  any  consideration  between  the 
close  of  the  8th  and  the  opening  of  the  9th  chapter. 
The  healing  of  the  man  born  blind  took  place  immedi- 
ately after  the  Lord  left  the  temple,  when  the  Jews  took 
up  stones  to  cast  at  Him  ;  or  at  least  on  the  same  day. 
There  is  really  no  cause  why  the  Lord  should  not  have 
met   that   unfortunate  man,  sitting  and  begging,  some- 

121 


122  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ix.  1-5. 

where  on  the  street  leading  from  the  temple.  In  this 
case  also,  as  with  the  sick  man  in  Bethesda,  the  initiative 
to  the  healing  came  from  the  Lord  without  a  petition  on 
the  part  of  the  blind  man.  "  He  saw  a  man  blind  from 
his  birth."  The  Lord's  looking  at  him  betrayed  that 
peculiar  interest  in  his  case  which  led  to  his  healing. 

As  the  Lord  fixed  His  eyes  upon  that  man,  the  atten- 
tion of  the  disciples  was  also  attracted.  But  they  look 
upon  this  case  from  a  different  point  of  view.  The  ques- 
tion which  occupies  their  minds  is  :  how  did  he  ever  get 
into  this  miserable  condition  ?  whose  fault  was  it  ?  his 
own  personal  fault  ?  or,  as  he  was  born  blind,  rather  the 
faiilt  of  his  parents  ?  The  question  of  rescue  from  this 
condition  does  not  for  a  moment  occur  to  them.  They 
consider  it  an  utterly  hopeless  case,  simply  an  object  of 
theological  inquiry  or  speculation,  but  not  of  helping  and 
restoring  charity.  The  Lord  on  the  other  hand  promptly 
rejects  the  idea  of  a  special  sin  of  the  man  himself  or  his 
parents,  more  than  the  sins  of  others  who  are  blessed 
with  seeing  children.  To  Christ  not  the  "  whence  ?  "  but 
the  "whither?"  is  the  principal  question  in  this  affliction. 
And  to  this  He  presents  a  striking  and  hopeful  answer  : 
"  That  the  works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in 
him  ;  "  in  this  case  clearly  not  God's  work  of  judgment, 
but  that  of  life  giving,  of  restoring  to  light.  For  this  He 
hath  been  sent  and  in  such  work  His  disciples  must  join 
with  Him  :  "  We  must  work  the  works  of  Him  that  sent 
Me."  How  can  we  bring  light  to  this  poor  afflicted  one? 
Surely  this  trial  has  come  upon  him  not  that  he  should 
sit  in  darkness  forever,  but  that  he  should  enjoy  the  light 
and  the  glory  of  God  in  a  peculiar  manner.  What  a 
blessed  word,  full  of  hope  for  the  blind  man  :  "  I  am  the 
Light  of  the  world  and  I  am  here  to  work  while  it  is 
day!"    And  so  the  Light  of  the  world  dispels  the  lifelong 


IX.  5-13-]  CHAPTER  IX.  123 

darkness  of  this  unfortunate  one.  A  new  creation-morn- 
ing dawns  upon  him.  "  Let  there  be  Ught  !  "  and  it  was 
light.  The  process  and  method  of  healing  however  was 
in  this  case  rather  extended  and  circumstantial  ;  for  the 
double  purpose  of  trying  and  of  training  the  faith  of  that 
man  and  for  hiding  His  own  majesty  and  miraculous 
power,  as  if  the  softly  going  waters  of  Siloam  had  done 
it  all  (Isai.  viii.  6). 

{b^  Investigation  by  the  Pharisees  (ix,  13-34). 

The  detailed  account  of  the  thorough  examination  of 
this  miracle  by  the  Pharisees,  with  all  the  questioning 
and  testifying  connected  with  it,  is  of  special  interest, 
because  it  presents  a  rare  case  of  actual,  critical  inquiry 
into  one  of  the  scriptural  miracles,  with  all  the  witnesses 
on  hand.  It  has  been  repeatedly  declared  by  the  oppo- 
nents of  miracles  that  if  they  could  be  convinced  by 
credible  witnesses  of  the  reality  of  such  supernatural 
proceedings,  they  would  at  once  renounce  their  infidelity 
and  skepticism  and  embrace  Christianity.  But  the  atti- 
tude of  the  Pharisees  clearly  proves  what  an  illusion  this  is, 
and  how  true  the  popular  saying,  that  "  a  man  convinced 
against  his  will  is  of  the  same  opinion  still."  They 
remind  us  of  that  bold  statement  of  one  of  the  most 
radical  representatives  of  unbelief  (Voltaire),  that  if  a 
miracle  should  be  performed  in  one  of  the  public  squares 
of  Paris  in  the  presence  of  a  thousand  witnesses  and 
himself,  he  would  rather  distrust  those  two  thousand  and 
two  eyes  than  believe  it  ! 

I.  First  Appearance  of  the  Man  before  the  Pharisees 
(ix.  13-17)- 

13-17.     They  bring  to  the  Pharisees  him  that  aforetime  was  bhnd.     Now 


124  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ix.  13-17. 

it  was  the  sabbath  on  the  day  when  Jesus  made  the  clay,  and  opened  his 
eyes.  Again  therefore  the  Pharisees  also  asked  him  how  he  received  his 
sight.  And  he  said  unto  them,  He  put  clay  upon  mine  eyes,  and  I  washed, 
and  do  see.  Some'  therefore  of  the  Pharisees  said,  This  man  is  not  from 
God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  sabbath.  But  others  said.  How  can  a 
man  that  is  a  sinner  do  such  signs  ?  And  there  was  a  division  among  them. 
They  say  therefore  unto  the  blind  man  again.  What  sayest  thou  of  him,  in 
that  he  opened  thine  eyes  .'     And  he  said,  He  is  a  prophet. 

Some  busybodies,  not  necessarily  with  a  design  to 
denounce  the  Lord,  bring  the  man  that  had  been  healed 
before  the  Pharisees.  But  at  this  first  appearance  of  the 
man  before  them,  the  opposite  impressions,  which  divided 
the  multitude  in  their  opinion  concerning  Christ,  are  re- 
flected also  in  this  meeting  of  the  Pharisees.  "  There 
was  a  division  among  them  "  (ver.  16).  From  one  and 
the  same  historical  fact  directly  opposite  conclusions  were 
drawn  by  the  two  parties.  The  plain  fact  in  the  case 
was  :  the  man  born  blind  had  been  healed  on  the  Sabbath. 
The  one  party,  starting  with  the  last  point  of  this  histor- 
ical fact  ("  on  the  Sabbath-day  "),  argue  from  this  after 
this  manner :  On  the  Sabbath-day  some  work  had  been 
done,  which  ought  not  to  have  been  done.  Therefore 
the  man  who  did  it  or  caused  it  to  be  done  is  not  of  God, 
but  a  sinner,  to  be  rejected  and  condemned,  together  with 
his  work.  The  other  party  argues  in  this  way :  There 
has  been  a  case  of  healing,  a  most  extraordinary  case  of 
giving  sight  to  a  man  born  blind  ("  a  thing  never  heard 
of  since  the  world  began,"  ver.  32),  This  is  clearly  a 
manifestation  of  divine  power,  and  therefore  the  one  who 
did  it  is  to  be  received  and  trusted  as  a  great  prophet. 

2.  Questioning  his  Parents  (ix.  18-23). 

iS-23.  The  Jews  therefore  did  not  believe  concerning  him,  that  he  had 
been  l)lind,  and  had  received  his  sight,  until  they  called  the  parents  of 
him   that   had  received  his  sight,  and  asked  them,  saying,   Is   this  your 


IX.  1 8-2 1.]  CHAPTER  IX.  125 

son,  who  ye  say  was  born  blind  ?  how  then  doth  he  now  see  ?  His  par- 
ents answered  and  said,  We  know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  that  lie  was  born 
blind  ;  but  how  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not ;  or  who  opened  his  eyes,  we 
know  not :  ask  him  ;  he  is  of  age  ;  he  shall  speak  for  himself.  These  things 
said  his  parents,  because  they  feared  the  Jews:  for  the  Jews  had  agreed 
already,  that  if  any  man  should  confess  him  to  be  Christ,  he  should  be  put 
out  of  the  synagogue.     Therefore  said  his  parents,  lie  is  of  age;  ask  him. 

However,  the  men  representing  the  former  view  are 
determined  to  have  their  own  way,  to  upset  the  historical 
fact  of  the  miraculous  healing  itself.  They  "did  not 
believe  concerning  him,  that  he  had  been  blind  and  had 
received  his  sight."  There  has  not  been  a  miraculous 
healing.  Surely  this  man  was  not  really  blind  ;  one  of 
the  many  cases  of  beggars  on  public  highways,  feigning 
certain  physical  ailments  in  order  to  secure  the  alms  of 
those  that  pass  by.  We  will  promptly  settle  the  case. 
Call  his  parents.  They  must  know  all  about  it.  "  Is 
this  your  son  who  ye  say  was  born  blind  ?  how  then  does 
he  now  see?"  His  parents  answered  and  said:  "  We 
know  that  this  is  our  son,  and  that  he  was  born  blind," 
so  far  their  positive  evidence.  Mark  how  clearly  and 
directly  to  the  point  are  all  the  questions  and  answers 
throughout  this  investigation.  We  are  in  the  atmosphere 
of  the  court-room.  The  whole  proceeding  is  one  of  legal 
exactness.  Point  after  point  the  evidence  is  secured  and 
the  facts,  thus  presented,  are  indeed  stubborn  things. 
The  foundation  of  the  miracle  is  clearly  established  by 
the  testimony  of  the  parents.  They  are  competent  to 
speak  of  the  case.  This  man  is  their  son  and  he  was 
born  blind.  As  to  the  manner  and  method  of  his  receiv- 
ing sight,  they  cautiously  withhold  their  testimony. 
"  How  he  now  seeth,  we  know  not ;  or  who  opened  his 
eyes  we  know  not."  They  were  not  eye-witnesses  to 
that.  But  their  very  refusal  to  give  testimony  on  what 
they  had  not  seen  with  their  own  eyes  makes  their  evi- 


126  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ix.  24. 

clence  on  the  fundamental  fact,  that  their  son  was  born 
bhnd,  all  the  more  irresistible.  It  was  a  desperate  attempt 
at  the  very  outset  to  demonstrate  the  absence  of  a  mir- 
acle in  this  case.  And  it  becomes  more  desperate  than 
ever  as  the  Pharisees  are  now  compelled  to  recall  the 
first  and  principal  witness,  who  alone  could  answer  the 
question  :  "  how  doth  he  now  see  ?  " 

3.  Second  Appearance  and  Expulsion  of  the    Man  Born 
Blind  (ix.  24-34). 

24-34.  So  they  called  a  second  time  the  man  that  was  blind,  and  said 
unto  him,  Give  glory  to  God  :  we  know  that  this  man  is  a  sinner.  He 
therefore  answered,  Whether  he  be  a  sinner,  I  know  not :  one  thing  I 
know,  that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  now  I  see.  They  said  therefore  unto  him, 
What  did  he  to  thee  .''  how  opened  he  thine  eyes .''  He  answered  them, 
I  told  you  even  now,  and  ye  did  not  hear ;  wherefore  would  ye  hear  it  again  "i 
would  ye  also  become  his  disciples  ?  And  they  reviled  him,  and  said.  Thou 
art  his  disciple  ;  but  we  are  disciples  of  Moses.  We  know  that  God  hath 
spoken  unto  Moses  :  but  as  for  this  man,  we  know  not  whence  he  is.  The  man 
answered  and  said  unto  them,  Why,  herein  is  the  marvel,  that  ye  know  not 
whence  he  is,  and  yet  he  opened  mine  eyes.  W^e  know  that  God  heareth 
not  sinners :  but  if  any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God,  and  do  his  will,  him 
he  heareth.  Since  the  world  began  it  was  never  heard  that  any  one 
opened  the  eyes  of  a  man  born  blind.  It  this  man  were  not  from  God  he 
could  do  nothing.  They  answered  and  said  unto  him,  Thou  wast 
altogether  born  in  sins,  and  dost  thou  teach  us .''     And  they  cast  him  out. 

"  So  they  called  a  second  time  the  man  that  was  blind 
and  said  unto  him  :  Give  glory  to  God  :  we  know  that 
this  man  is  a  sinner," — a  bold  unscrupulous  attempt  to 
intimidate  him.  But  the  simplicity,  straightforwardness 
and  courage  of  the  man  completely  baffle  them.  "  He 
is  of  age — said  his  parents, — he  shall  speak  for  himself." 
And  did  he  not  speak  for  himself  and  for  Him,  who  made 
him  whole  ?  The  Pharisees  are  aware  what  a  dangerous 
witness  this  man  is  going  to  be  ;  they  therefore  move 
heaven  and  earth  to   make  him   deny   his  Physician  and 


IX.  24-33-]  CHAPTER  IX.  127 

Saviour.  "  We  know  that  this  man  is  a  sinner,"  and 
what  "we  know,"  you  are  expected  to  accept,  and  to 
abide  by  it  without  criticism  or  contradiction.  But  he 
will  not  accept  it.  "  Whether  He  be  a  sinner  I  know  not : 
one  thing  I  know,  that,  whereas  I  was  blind,  I  now  see." 
This  is  the  theology  of  living  facts  over  against  prejudiced 
dogmatism.  The  "  one  thing  he  knows  "  is  better  than 
all  that  their  wisdom  claims  to  know.  The  Light  of  the 
world  has  opened  his  eyes.  He  has  been  taught  by  God. 
And  he  proceeds  undauntedly  to  give  them  a  taste  of  his 
theology  too,  after  having  given  his  legal  evidence  in  their 
court  of  inquiry.  "  We  know  that  God  heareth  not  sin- 
ners, but  if  any  man  be  a  worshipper  of  God  and  do  His 
will,  him  He  heareth.  Since  the  world  began  it  was  never 
heard  that  any  man  opened  the  eyes  of  a  man  born  blind. 
If  this  man  were  not  from  God,  He  could  do  nothing." 
Good  sound  Mosaic  theology  and  common-sense  and  logic 
besides  !  A  regular  syllogism,  with  Major,  Minor  and  Con- 
clusion. Here  is  the  sign,  you  cannot  deny,  established 
beyond  the  possibility  of  a  doubt  by  the  testimony  of 
eye-witnesses.  Will  you  not  draw  the  correct  conclusion, 
as  Nicodemus,  your  ruler,  did  :  "  No  man  can  do  these 
signs,  except  he  come  from  God,  and  God  be  with  him  "  ? 

There  is  a  wonderful  life-realism  pictured  in  the  scenes 
of  this  chapter.  We  see  everything  as  plainly  before  our 
eyes  as  if  we  stood  in  person  between  those  contending 
parties.  We  see  the  reflexion  of  the  "  Light  of  the  World  " 
beaming  on  the  face  of  this  man  whose  eyes  have  been 
opened.  We  see  the  flash  of  heavenly  joy  in  his  bright 
sparkling  eyes,  as  he  exclaims  again  and  again  :  I  received 
sight !  (ver.  11);  I  do  see!  (ver.  15).  One  thing  I  know 
— now  I  see  !  (ver.  25).      He  opened  mxwo.  eyes  !  (ver.  30). 

But  all  the  light  and  joy  of  this  testimony  is  lost  on  the 
Pharisees.    If  they  only  could,  they  would  gladly  force  him 


128  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [ix.  34-38. 

back  to  the  darkness  in  which  he  was  born  (as  they  after- 
wards resolved  to  kill  Lazarus  in  order  to  stop  the  mouth 
of  the  testimony  of  his  resurrection).  But  being  unable 
to  do  that  they  cast  him  out  in  furious  passion. 

(f.)  Jesus  the  Saviour  of  the  Blind  and  the  Judge  of  the 
Seeing  (ix.  35-41). 

35-41.  Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out ;  and  finding  him,  he  said, 
Dost  thou  beUeve  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  He  answered  and  said,  And  who 
is  he,  Lord,  that  I  may  believe  on  him  ?  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Thou  hast 
both  seen  him,  and  he  it  is  that  speaketh  with  thee.  And  he  said.  Lord,  I 
believe.  And  he  worshipped  him.  And  Jesus  said,  For  judgement  came  I 
into  this  world,  that  they  which  see  not  may  see  ;  and  that  they  which  see 
may  become  blind.  Tiiose  of  the  Pharisees  which  were  with  him  heard 
these  things,  and  said  unto  him,  Are  we  also  blind  ?  Jesus  said  unto  them, 
If  ye  were  blind,  ye  would  have  no  sin :  but  now  ye  say.  We  see  :  your  sin 
remaineth. 

Jesus  heard  that  they  had  cast  him  out.  So  He  went 
after  him,  and  finding  him,  He  said  :  "  Dost  thou  believe  on 
the  Son  of  God  ?  "  At  the  time  of  the  healing  the  man 
born  blind  had  not  seen  the  Lord.  He  had  been  sent  away 
to  the  pool  of  Siloam  with  his  eyes  still  closed,  and  immedi- 
ately after  the  healing  he  was  dragged  before  the  Phari- 
sees. But  now  for  the  first  time  his  eyes  rest  on  the 
Lord,  whom  he  at  once  recognizes  by  the  well-known 
voice.  He  whom  he  had  learned  to  know  as  his  great 
physician,  whom  he  had  already  confessed  before  men  as 
a  prophet  come  from  God,  reveals  Himself  to  him  as  the 
very  Son  of  God.  "  Thou  hast  seen  Him,  and  He  It  is 
that  speaketh  with  thee."  Thus  the  man  born  blind  is 
led  from  light  to  light ;  from  the  light  of  the  body  to  the 
light  of  the  soul ;  from  the  knowledge  of  the  great  prophet 
to  saving  faith  in  the  Son  of  God. 

But  He  who  came  as  a  Saviour  for  the  blind  that  they 


IX.  39-4 1  J  CHAPTER  IX.  129 

might  see,  is  at  the  same  time  the  judge  of  those  which 
see  "  that  they  may  become  bHnd."  Those  which  see 
not  are  the  same  whom  the  proud  Pharisees  characterized 
as  "  the  multitude  which  knowcth  not  the  law,"  and  whom 
the  Lord  Himself  speaks  of  as  the  "  babes."  Those  which 
see  are  the  men  who  are  full  of  their  "we  know,"  and 
whom  the  Lord  characterizes  as  the  "  wise  and  under- 
standing." The  amount  of  knowledge  which  they 
actually  had,  even  concerning  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God, 
laid  a  fearful  responsibility  on  them.  They  were  the 
men  of  the  parable,  who,  when  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard 
sent  His  beloved  Son,  reasoned  one  with  another,  saying  : 
"This  is  the  heir;  let  us  kill  him,  that  the  inheritance 
may  be  ours"  (Luke  xx.  9-18).  To  them  applied  those 
words  of  warning  in  the  sermon  on  the  mount :  "  The 
lamp  of  the  body  is  the  eye  :  if  therefore  thine  eye  be 
single,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  light.  But  if  thine 
eye  be  evil,  thy  whole  body  shall  be  full  of  darkness.  If 
therefore  the  light  that  is  in  thee  be  darkness,  how  great 
is  the  darkness!  "  (Matt.  vi.  22). 
9 


CHAPTER  X. 

II.  The  Discourses  Following   the   Healing   of 
THE  Man  Born  Blind  (Ch.  x.). 

(A.)  First  Discourse  (x.  1-2 1). 

I.   Christ  the  Shepherd  (x.  1-6). 

1-6.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  He  that  entereth  not  by  the  door 
into  the  fold  of  the  sheep,  but  climbeth  up  some  other  way,  the  same  is  a 
thief  and  a  robber.  But  he  that  entereth  in  by  the  door  is  the  shepherd  of 
the  sheep.  To  him  the  porter  openeth  ;  and  the  sheep  hear  his  voice: 
and  he  calleth  his  own  sheep  by  name,  and  leadeth  them  out.  When  he 
hath  put  forth  all  his  own,  he  goeth  before  them,  and  the  sheep  follow  him  : 
for  they  know  his  voice.  And  a  stranger  will  they  not  follow,  but  will  flee 
from  him  :  for  they  know  not  the  voice  of  strangers.  This  parable  spake 
Jesus  unto  them  :  but  they  understood  not  what  things  they  were  which  he 
spake  unto  them. 

As  the  connection  between  the  8th  and  9th  chapters, 
so  also  that  between  the  9th  and  loth  is  close  and  direct. 
What  the  Lord  says  in  the  first  discourse  on  the  Shep- 
herd, the  Door  and  the  Flock  will  be  felt  to  have  a  pecu- 
liar force,  if  we  remember  that  by  His  side  was  the  man 
who  had  been  so  tyrannically  treated  by  the  rulers  in  Israel, 
who  had  learned  to  know  the  voice  of  the  Good  Shepherd 
and  clung  to  Him  undisturbed  by  those  blind  leaders  of 
the  blind,  the  thieves  and  robbers  that  enter  not  by  the 
door  into  the  fold,  but  climb  up  some  other  way. 

Some  think  that  the  Lord  was  standing  by  the  sheep 
gate  (John  v.  2),  and  as  the  sun  was  setting  the  sheep  came 

130 


X.  1-3.]  CHAPTER  X.  131 

flocking  in  from  the  valley  of  the  Kidron  and  the  slopes 
of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  But  we  need  no  such  substratum 
for  His  parable  of  the  Shepherd.  The  Old  Testament 
abounds  in  passages  based  on  this  figure,  from  the  Shep- 
herd of  Joseph  (Gen.  xlix.  24,  in  the  prophecy  of  Jacob) 
down  to  the  "  idol  shepherd  that  leaveth  the  flock  "  (in 
Zechariah  xi.).  The  details  of  the  allegory  of  the  Lord 
set  forth  in  these  verses  present  no  difficulties  to  the 
reader.  The  fold  is  the  theocracy,  the  people  of  God 
chosen  and  separated  from  others  through  God's  cove- 
nant. Those  that  lord  it  over  the  sheep  by  cunning  or 
violence  (as  thieves  and  robbers)  are  the  ruling  Pharisees 
who  approach  the  sheep  by  their  own  arrogant  self-ap- 
pointment, not  in  God's  own  proper  way,  through  the 
door,  the  office  instituted  by  Him,  and  Christ  the  true 
mediator  of  all  pastoral  vocation  in  Israel.  The  porter 
who  opens  the  door  and  lets  the  shepherd  in  to  his 
flock  may  be  the  Holy  Spirit,  or,  if  we  prefer  a  mo.re  con- 
crete historical  figure,  the  forerunner  of  the  Lord,  John 
the  Baptist.  The  Shepherd,  even  in  these  first  verses, 
though  still  spoken  of  with  a  certain  reserve,  is  Christ 
Himself,  not  the  pastors  or  shepherds  in  general.  His 
voice  the  sheep  hear.  There  is  something  in  the  very 
sound  of  His  words  that  awakens  an  echo  in  the  hearts 
of  all  true  Israelites.  "Thine  are  we  (2  Chron.  xii.  18). 
Thou  art  our  Shepherd."  And  He  calleth  His  own 
sheep  by  name  ;  there  is  an  intimate  personal  relation  be- 
tween Him  and  His  own  ;  as  even  in  our  natural  relations 
it  is  the  exclusive  privilege  of  those  nearest  and  dearest 
to  us  to  call  us  (and  to  be  called  by  us)  by  the  proper 
name.  And  He  leadeth  them  out'' — not  simply  forth  to 
green  pastures,  beside  the  still  waters,  in  the  paths  of  right- 
eousness (Ps.  xxiii.),  but  oiit  of  the  narrow  enclosure  of  the 
Old  Testament  theocracy.     He  brings  them  forth  into  a 


132  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x.  3-10. 

large  place.  This  deliverance  from  the  former  state  of 
bondage  is  not  accomplished  without  considerable  labor 
and  effort  on  the  part  of  the  Shepherd.  But  after  He  has 
succeeded  in  "putting  forth  all  His  own"  He  goeth  be- 
fore them,  and  they  follow  Him  freely  and  joyfully 
whithersoever  He  may  lead  them  ;  and  no  stranger  shall 
disturb  them  ;  they  would  flee  from  Him  rather  than  fol- 
low His  voice. 

2.   Christ  the  Door  (x.  7- 10). 

7-10.  Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them  again,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
I  am  the  door  of  the  heep.  All  that  came  before  me  are  thieves  and  rob- 
bers :  but  the  sheep  did  not  hear  them.  I  am  the  door :  by  me  if  any  man 
enter  in,  he  shall  be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  go  out,  and  shall  find  past- 
ure. The  thief  Cometh  not,  but  that  he  may  steal,  and  kill,  and  destroy : 
I  came  that  they  may  have  life,  and  may  have  //  abundantly. 

The  parabolic  saying  contained  in  these  verses  is  by  no 
means  identical  with  the  preceding  one.  "  Christ  is  the 
door ; "  this  presents  an  entirely  new  aspect,  different 
from  the  figure  of  the  Shepherd.  He  is  "  the  door  of  the 
sheep."  Does  this  mean  the  door  to  the  sheep  for  those 
who  approach  them  as  their  shepherds  and  pastors  ?  They 
must  enter  to  the  sheep  through  Christ  as  the  door,  in 
-His  name,  in  His  Spirit,  not  in  their  own  name,  as  thieves 
and  robbers  ?  Or  does  the  term,  "  the  door  of  the  sheep," 
simply  mean  the  door  by  which  the  sheep  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  finding  life  and  abundance  in  it? 
The  8th  verse  seems  to  point  to  the  former  view.  The 
9th  verse  seems  as  decidedly  to  point  to  the  latter  view. 
Perhaps  they  might  both  be  combined  :  Christ  the  door 
for  shepherd  and  flock.  No  open  door  for  the  shepherd 
to  the  flock,  except  through  Christ.  No  open  door  for 
the  sheep  to  the  life  and  abundance  of  the  heavenly 
kingdom  except  through  Christ.     Through  Him  they  go 


X.  ii-iS.]  CHAPTER  X.  133 

in   by  faith,  through   Him  they  go  out,  confessing   their 
faith  and  proving  it  by  the  love  of  the  brethren. 


3.   One  Flock  and  One  Shepherd  (x.  1 1-18). 

11-18.  I  am  the  good  shepherd :  the  good  shepherd  layeth  down  his 
life  for  the  sheep.  He  that  is  a  hirehiig,  and  not  a  shepherd,  whose  own 
the  sheep  are  not,  beholdeth  the  wolf  coining,  and  leaveth  the  sheep,  and 
fleeth,  and  the  wolf  snatcheth  them,  and  scattereth  t/iein  :  he Jleeth  because 
he  is  a  hireling,  and  careth  not  for  the  sheep.  I  am  the  good  shepherd ; 
and  I  know  mine  own,  and  mine  own  know  me,  even  as  the  Father  know- 
eth  me,  and  I  know  the  Father;  and  I  lay  down  my  life  for  the  sheep. 
And  other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this  fold  :  them  also  I  must 
bring,  and  they  sliall  hear  my  voice  ;  And  they  shall  become  one  flock, 
one  shepherd.  Therefore  doth  the  Father  love  me,  because  I  lay  down  my 
life  that  I  may  take  it  again.  No  one  taketh  it  away  from  me,  but  I  lay 
it  down  of  myself.  I  have  power  to  lay  it  down,  and  I  have  power  to  take 
it  again.     This  commandment  received  I  from  my  Father. 

This  passage,  containing  the  well-known  parable  of  the 
good  Shepherd  who  layeth  down  his  life  for  the  sheep, 
illustrates  most  clearly  how  the  so-called  parables  in  the 
Gospel  of  St.  John  go  far  beyond  the  sphere  of  a  real 
simple  parable.  A  statement  like  this:  "  I  am  the  good 
Shepherd.  The  good  Shepherd  layeth  down  His  life  for 
the  sheep,"  ceases  to  be  a  parable.  It  is  a  literal  heavenly 
reality.  Christ  is  not  like  unto  a  good  Shepherd  as  He 
is  likened  unto  a  sower,  etc.  He  is  emphatically  and  truly 
tJie  good  Shepherd.  And  in  the  natural  sphere  there  is 
no  such  thing  as  a  shepherd  who  would  willingly,  by  his 
own  free  choice  and  determination,  resolve  to  lay  down 
his  life  for  the  sheep.  In  looking  over  the  whole  passage 
we  at  once  recognize  how  dif^cult,  yea  impossible,  it  is, 
to  draw  the  line  between  the  parabolic  or  allegorical 
speech  and  the  direct  doctrinal  statement.  True,  there 
are  the  shepherd,  the  sheep,  the  wolf,  the  hireling,  the 
fold,  the  flock, — all  figurative   terms    according   to    the 


134  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x.  14-16. 

common  understanding.  But  then  :  Christ  layeth  down 
His  life,  Christ  knows  His  own  ;  His  own  know  Him  ; 
the  Father  knoweth  Him  ;  Heknoweth  the  Father.  The 
Father  doth  love  Him  because  He  lays  down  His  life. 
He  has  power  to  lay  it  down  and  has  power  to  take  it 
again.  Where  is  there  a  parable  in  all  this?  These  are 
all  plain  direct  statements  of  great  historical  realities.  TJie 
good  Shepherd  who  layeth  down  His  life  for  the  sheep  is 
nowhere  to  be  found  in  reality,  except  in  the  person  and 
in  the  passion  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  this  passion 
and  death  of  Christ  is  emphatically  described  as  His  own 
free  choice  and  act,  done  with  full  power  and  freedom. 
His  death  is  the  culminating  and  consummating  act  of 
His  love.  It  is  a  remarkable  feature  of  the  Gospel  of  St. 
John,  that  the  solemn  word  of  the  passion  of  the  Lord 
accompanies  us  through  its  whole  narrative.  It  appears 
earlier  in  it  than  in  any  other  Gospel.  In  the  very  first 
chapter  we  were  pointed  to  the  Lamb  of  God  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  In  the  2d  it  was  "  the 
temple  of  His  body  "  that  was  to  be  destroyed.  In  the 
3d  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  the  type  of  the  lifting 
up  of  the  Son  of  Man ;  in  the  5th  the  Jews  seek  to  kill 
Him  because  He  called  God  His  own  Father  ;  in  the  6th, 
it  is  His  flesh  (and  blood)  which  He  will  give  for  the  life 
of  the  world  ;  in  the  7th  He  asks  His  enemies  :  Why  seek 
ye  to  kill  Me?  in  the  8th  they  take  up  stones  to  cast  at 
Him  ;  and  here  it  is  the  good  Shepherd  laying  down  His 
life. 

And  these  passion-thoughts  naturally  suggest  mission- 
thoughts.  As  the  Lord  afterwards  said:  "  If  I  be  lifted 
up  from  the  earth  I  will  draw  all  men  unto  Myself,"  so 
He  speaks  of  "  other  sheep  not  of  this  fold  :  them  also  I 
must  bring  and  they  shall  hear  My  voice  ;  and  there  shall 
be  one  flock  and  one  shepherd."     Mark  well :   the  only 


X.  i6-22.]  CHAPTER  X.  135 

means  to  bring  others  to  His  flock,  to  unite  them  all,  Jews 
and  Gentiles,  under  the  one  good  Shepherd,  is  the  hear- 
ing of  His  voice.  No  true  Mission  work  except  through 
His  voice.  No  true  Union  work  except  through  His 
voice.  Where  men  refuse  to  listen  to  His  voice,  there 
men  may  be  gathered  to  men,  but  they  are  not  brought 
to  Him,  and  the  flock  is  in  reality  one  flock  only  as  far  as 
it  is  one  in  the  faith  in  the  good  Shepherd. 

4.  Impression  of  these  Words  on  the  Jews  (x.  19-21). 

19-21.  There  arose  a  division  again  among  the  Jews  because  of  these 
words.  And  many  of  them  said,  He  hath  a  devil,  and  is  mad  ;  why  hear 
ye  him  ?  Others  said.  These  are  not  the  sayings  of  one  possessed  with  a 
devil.     Can  a  devil  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind .' 

The  words  of  the  Lord  made  essentially  the  same  im- 
pression which  we  found  on  different  occasions  before 
this.  "There  was  a  division  among  them."  On  the  one 
side  He  is  charged  with  having  a  devil  (demon)  and 
people  are  warned  :  Do  not  hear  Him  !  On  the  other  side 
some  are  ready  to  draw  a  similar  conclusion  to  that  of  the 
blind  man  whom  He  had  healed  :  "  Can  a  devil  open  the 
eyes  of  the  blind  ?  " 

(B.)  Second  Discourse  {on  the  Feast  of  Dedication\ 
I.  Historical  Introduction  (x.  22-24). 

22-24.  And  it  was  the  feast  of  the  dedication  at  Jerusalem  :  it  was  win- 
ter; and  Jesus  was  walking  in  the  temple  in  Solomon's  porch.  The  Jews 
therefore  came  round  about  him,  and  said  unto  him,  How  long  dost  thou 
hold  us  in  suspense  ?     If  thou  art  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainly. 

Two  months  intervene  between  the  festival  of  taber- 
nacles and  the  feast  of  the  dedication,  the  former  being 
kept  in  the  month  of  October,  the  latter  in  December. 
In  the  interval  the  Lord  was  absent  from   Jerusalem,  but 


136  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x.  22-24. 

it  is  hard  to  decide  where  He  spent  the  time  between 
those  two  dates.  He  may  have  gone  back  to  GaHlee,  or 
He  may  have  stayed  in  the  neighborhood  of  Jerusalem, 
but  certainly  He  did  not  show  Himself  in  the  city.  The 
feast  of  the  dedication  was  not  one  of  the  ancient  Mosaic 
institutions.  It  was  introduced  at  the  time  of  the  Mac- 
cabees in  memory  of  the  re-consecration  of  the  temple 
after  its  profanation  by  Antiochus  Epiphanes  (i  Maccab. 
iv.  50  f.  ;  2  Maccab.  x.  6  ff.).  It  was  called  the  feast  of 
the  lights,  from  the  magnificent  illuminations  with  which 
it  was  celebrated.  Jesus  was  walking  in  the  temple  in 
Solomon's  porch,  on  account  of  the  inclemency  of  the 
weather.  This  porch  was  on  the  east  side  of  the  temple 
plateau,  on  a  steep  precipice  overhanging  the  valley  of 
Jehoshaphat ;  it  was  said  to  be  one  of  the  few  remnants 
of  the  ancient  Solomonic  temple  and,  at  the  time  of 
Christ,  belonged  to  the  court  of  the  Gentiles.  There  He 
was  walking,  as  if  to  indicate  that  He  was  ready  to  take 
leave  of  His  people  and  offer  His  salvation  to  the  Gen- 
tiles. There  the  Jews  surrounded  Him,  demanding,  as 
they  said,  a  plain  and  direct  answer  to  the  question  : 
"Art  Thou  the  Christ?" 

2.  First  Section  of  the  Discourse  :  I  and  the  Father 
arc  One  (x.  25-31). 

25-31.  Jesus  answered  them,  I  told  you,  and  ye  believe  not :  the  works 
that  I  do  in  my  Father's  name,  these  bear  witness  of  me.  But  ye  believe 
not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep.  My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know 
them,  and  they  follow  me  :  and  I  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they 
shall  never  perish,  and  no  one  shall  snatch  them  out  of  my  hand.  My 
Father,  which  hath  given  t/iem  unto  me,  is  greater  than  all ;  and  no  one  is 
able  to  snatch  fhem  out  of  the  Father's  hand.  I  and  the  Father  are  one. 
The  Jews  took  up  stones  again  to  stone  him. 

What  answer  should  He  return  to  their  question  ?     By 


X.  24-31]  CHAPTER  X.  137 

a  plain  affirmative  He  would  have  surrendered  Himself  to 
their  carnal  ideas  of  the  Messianic  kingdom.     By  answer- 
in<T  in  the  negative  He  would  have  denied  His  own  divine 
mission.      He  knows   that   their  question   is   not  one  of 
honest   inquiry,   coming  from  a   sincere    desire    to  have 
light  on  a  dark  and  hitherto  unintelligible  subject.     It    is 
not  His  fault  that  they  are  not  in  the  clear  on  this  point  ; 
but  it  is  their  own  unwillingness  to  accept  and  believe 
Him.      He  therefore  simply   refers   to    His  former  testi- 
mony and  that  of  His  works.     "  I   told  you — My  works 
witness  of  Me— but   ye  believe  not."     There  is  no  lack 
of  testimony  ;  but  there  is  no  faith  on  their  part.     They 
are   not   of   His  sheep.     They  do  not  know  His    voice, 
though  they  hear  His  words  ;  and  consequently  they  do 
not  follow  Him,  nor  enjoy  the  life  and  safe  protection  of 
His  faithful  and  strong  pastoral   hand.     My  sheep,   He 
says,  are  in  My  hand.     The  Father  has  given  them  unto 
Me.     I  have  not  assumed  power  and  authority  over  them, 
without   commission    from    on    high.     They   are    in  the 
Father's  hand  ;  in  one  hand,  for  I  and  the  Father  are  one. 
The  word  "  one"  in  the  original  of  the  New  Testament  is 
neuter,  which  is  lost  in  the  English  (and  French)  transla- 
tions; while  it  is  preserved  in  the   Latin    ("  unum  "),  in 
the  German  (eins),  in  the  Italian  (una  stessa  cosa)  and  in 
the  Spanish  (una  cosa).     The  Father  and  the  Son  are  one 
in  power  and  authority  and  this  only  because  they  are 
one  in  divine  nature  and  essence.     "  We  are,"  He  says, 
against  any  attempt  to  wipe  out  the  distinction  of  per- 
sons "  one  "  ;  (one  essence,  one  nature),  He  says  against  a 
mere  moral  oneness  in  spirit  ;  and  against  any  attempt  to 
rob  the  Son  of  His  full,  co-equal  divinity.     The  answer  of 
the  Jews  to  this  statement  of  Christ,  is  clear  beyond  the 
possibiHty  of  a  misunderstanding.     "  They  took  up  stones 
again  to  stone  Him."     They  heard  and  understood  cor- 


138  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x.  31. 

rectly.  They  did  not  put  anything  into  His  words 
which  was  not  there  by  His  own  meaning  and  intention. 
He  claims  oneness  with  the  Father,  equality  with  the 
great  Jehovah.  They  hold  that  He  has  no  right  to  this 
claim ;  that  He  is  guilty  of  blasphemy  and  deserves 
the  penalty  of  death.  And  if  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  what 
ancient  and  modern  humanitarians  say  of  Him,  however 
profusely  they  may  compliment  Him  for  the  purity  and 
loftiness  of  His  moral  and  religious  principles  and  doc- 
trines, then  the  Jews  were  right  and  were  bound  by  the 
law  of  Moses  to  stone  Him  to  death.  There  is  no  third 
possibility.  Either  Christ  is  what  He  claims  in  these 
words,  and  then  adoration  and  worship  are  due  Him  as 
the  Eternal  Son  of  the  living  God,  our  King  and  our 
Saviour.  Or  Christ  is  not  what  He  says,  and  then  :  Down 
with  Him!  Stone  Him  to  death,  for  all  the  talk  of  His 
moral  loftiness  is  scattered  to  the  wind  by  that  one  hor- 
rible accusation  :  '*  He  being  a  man  made  Himself  God." 
To  our  conceited  and  arrogant  generation  it  may  seem  a 
small  matter  to  claim  co-equality  with  God.  But  it  is 
tlie  diabolical  sin,  the  very  essence  of  devilry,  that  the 
creature  makes  himself  God. 

3.  Second  Part  of  the  Discourse  :   Christ's  Defence  against 
the  Charge  of  Blasphemy  (x.  32-39). 

32-39.  Jesus  answered  them,  Many  good  works  have  I  shewed  you 
from  the  Father;  for  which  of  those  works  do  ye  stone  me?  The  Jews 
answered  him.  For  a  good  work  we  stone  thee  not,  but  for  blasphemy ;  and 
because  that  thou,  being  a  man,  makest  thyself  God.  Jesus  answered 
them,  Is  it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said.  Ye  are  gods .''  If  he  called  them 
gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came  (and  the  scripture  cannot  be 
broken),  say  ye  of  him,  whom  the  Father  sanctified  and  sent  into  the  world. 
Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son  of  God  ?  If  I  do  not  the 
works  of  my  Father,  believe  me  not.  But  if  I  do  them,  though  ye  believe 
not  me,  believe    the   works :  that  ye  may  know  and   understand  that  the 


X.  3--3<^-]  Cir AFTER  X.  139 

Father  is  in  me,  and  I  in  the  Father.     They  sought  again  to  take  him :  and 
he  went  forth  out  of  their  hand. 

The  Lord  disarms  His  enemies  yet  for  a  little  while,  in 
the  first  place  by  pointing  to  His  good  (beautiful)  works, 
which  He  has  shown  them  from  the  Father.  The  works 
are  referred  to  as  manifestations  of  His  union  with  the 
Father,  of  His  Messianic  commission  and  His  true  Son- 
ship.  And  yet  those  very  works,  instead  of  proving  to 
them  Christ's  true  character,  excited  their  hatred,  stirred 
up  the  conflict,  and  finally  caused  the  council  to  put  Him 
to  death. 

Again  He  points  them  to  their"  law,"  to  that  scripture 
which  "cannot  be  broken,"  to  show  that  on  the  indisput- 
able authority  of  good  theocratical  language,  the  prin- 
ciple cannot  be  established,  that  it  would  be  blasphemy 
under  all  circumstances  to  speak  of  a  man  as  God  ?  It 
is  the  very  ABC  concerning  the  idea  of  the  Godman  to 
which  He  introduces  them.  Psalm  Ixxxii.  6,  it  was  said  to 
the  rulers  and  judges  in  Israel :  "  Ye  are  gods,"  though 
they  "judge  unjustly"  and  "shall  die  like  men."  Thus 
these  sinful  men,  the  incumbents  of  a  theocratic  office, 
are  called  "  gods  "  because  their  office  was  instituted 
by  God  and  their  authority  is  from  on  high.  But  the 
Messiah  is  the  theocratical  office-bearer  in  the  ab- 
solute sense.  All  offices  are  united  in  Him,  He  is 
prophet,  priest  and  king.  From  Him  emanate  and 
in  Him  culminate  all  the  offices  of  the  Old  Cove- 
nant. He  is  sent,  sealed,  sanctified  and  consecrated  for 
His  Messianic  work  by  the  Father  Himself.  Can  He  be 
charged  with  blasphemy,  because  He  says  :  "  I  am  the 
Son  of  God  ? "  The  term  "  Messiah "  and  the  name 
"  Son  of  God  "  are  by  no  means  identical.  The  title 
"Messiah"  reveals  His  divine  commission,  it  specifies  His 
work,  which  He  was  sent  to  accomplish.     And  the  works 


I40  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x.  3S-42. 

He  is  doing  must  demonstrate  Him  as  the  great  divine 
office-bearer,  the  Anointed  of  God.  But  if  He  is  proved 
to  be  the  Messiah  by  His  Avorks,  He  is  also  entitled  to 
the  name  "  Son  of  God,"  not  as  an  ornamental  title, 
without  reality  ;  but  in  the  full  sense  of  His  essential 
union  with  the  Father:  "  the  Father  in  Me  and  I  in  the 
Father." 

4.   Chris fs  Retreat  to  Pcrcea  (x.  40-42). 

40-42.  And  he  went  away  again  beyond  Jordan  into  the  place  where 
Jolin  was  at  the  first  baptizing  ;  and  there  he  abode.  And  many  came  unto 
him ;  and  they  said,  John  indeed  did  no  sign  :  but  all  things  whatsoever 
John  spake  of  this  man  were  true.     And  many  believed  on  him  there. 

The  response  to  this  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  an- 
other attempt "  to  take  Him  "  on  the  part  of  His  enemies. 
But  He  "went  forth  out  of  their  hand,  away  beyond 
Jordan,"  that  is,  into  Peraea.  The  Synoptists  also  speak 
of  this  sojourn  of  Christ  in  that  region  shortly  before  His 
coming  to  Jerusalem  at  the  last  Passover.  Both  Mat- 
thew (xix.  1-2)  and  Mark  (x.  i)  tell  us  of  great  multitudes 
that  followed  Him  and  of  His  healing  them  there  and 
teaching  them  as  He  was  wont.  This  is  in  full  accord 
with  John's  record  in  verses  41  and  42:  "Many  came 
unto  Him,  and  many  believed  on  Him  there."  After  all 
the  sad  and  disheartening  experiences  with  "  His  own  " 
in  Jerusalem,  there  was  yet  some  harvest  joy  in  store  for 
the  heavenly  Sower.  Believers  in  Samaria,  believers  in 
Galilee,  and  now  believers  also  in  Peraea.  As  we  ap- 
proach the  end  of  the  Lord's  public  ministry,  there  is 
once  more  a  precious  testimony  for  John  the  Baptist,  his 
memory  is  kept  fresh  and  green  by  the  Evangelist,  his 
former  pupil,  from  the  beginning  to  the  close  of  his 
Gospel.  The  people  of  that  region  where  John  was  at 
the  first  baptizing  have  not  forgotten  the  revered  prophet. 


X.  41,  42.]  CHArTER  X.  141 

"John  indeed  did  no  sign."  For  good  reasons  God  had 
not  granted  them  to  Christ's  forerunner.  There  would 
have  been  even  greater  danger  of  confounding  him  with 
Christ,  and  thus  the  dif^culty  in  coming  from  John  to 
Christ  w^ould  have  been  considerably  increased.  *'  But 
all  things  whatsoever  John  spake  of  Christ  were  true." 
They  were  true,  at  the  time  they  were  spoken,  though 
the  people  did  not  at  that  time  recognize  and  appreciate 
them  in  their  full  meaning.  Truth  is  truth,  even  should 
there  be  not  a  single  soul  to  accept  it  and  believe  it. 
Could  anything  greater  and  more  creditable  be  said  of 
John  the  Baptist  or  of  any  other  messenger  and  witness 
of  the  Lord  than  this  simple  testimony  :  "  All  things 
whatsoever  he  spake  of  this  man  were  true  "  ? 


CHAPTER  XI. 

III.  The    Raising    of    Lazarus. — The    Crisis    in 
JUD^A  (ch.  xi.). 

(A.)  Sickness  and  DeatJi  of  Lazarus  and  Message  to 
Jesus  (xi.  I- 1 6). 

1-16.  Now  a  certain  man  was  sick,  Lazarus  of  Bethany,  of  the  village  of 
Mary  and  her  sister  Martha.  And  it  was  that  Mary  which  anointed  the 
Lord  with  ointment,  and  wiped  his  feet  with  her  hair,  whose  brother  Laza- 
rus was  sick.  The  sisters  therefore  sent  unto  him,  saying,  Lord,  behold, 
he  whom  thou  lovest  is  sick.  But  when  Jesus  heard  it,  he  said.  This  sick- 
ness is  not  unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God  may 
be  glorified  thereby.  Now  Jesus  loved  Martha,  and  her  sister,  and  Lazarus. 
When  therefore  he  heard  that  he  was  sick,  he  abode  at  that  time  two  days 
in  the  place  where  he  was.  Then  after  this  he  saith  to  the  disciples. 
Let  us  go  into  Judsea  again.  The  disciples  say  unto  him,  Rabbi,  the  Jews 
were  but  now  seeking  to  stone  thee  ;  and  goest  thou  thither  again  ?  Jesus 
answered,  Are  there  not  twelve  hours  in  the  day  ?  If  a  man  walk  in  the 
day,  he  stumbleth  not,  because  he  seeth  the  light  of  this  world.  But  if  a 
man  walk  in  the  night,  he  stumbleth,  because  the  light  is  not  in  him. 
These  things  spake  he :  and  after  this  he  saith  unto  them.  Our  friend 
Lazarus  is  fallen  asleep;  but  I  go,  that  I  may  awake  him  out  of  sleep. 
The  disciples  therefore  said  unto  him.  Lord,  if  he  is  fallen  asleep,  he  will 
recover.  Now  Jesus  had  spoken  of  his  death  :  but  they  thought  that  he 
spake  of  taking  rest  in  sleep.  Then  Jesus  therefore  said  unto  them  plainly, 
Lazarus  is  dead.  And  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes  that  I  was  not  there,  to 
the  intent  ye  may  believe;  nevertheless  let  us  go  unto  him.  Thomas 
therefore,  who  is  called  Didymus,  said  unto  his  fellow-disciples.  Let  us  also 
go,  that  we  may  die  with  him. 

With  the  eleventh  chapter  we  now  come  to  the  greatest 
of  all  the  signs  of  Jesus,  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  which 
matured   the  crisis  in    Judaea,  just  as  the  feeding  of  the 

142 


XI.  I.]  CHAPTER  XI.  143 

5,000  had  a  similar  effect  in  Galilee.  It  is  acknowledged 
on  all  sides  that  this  miracle  of  the  Lord  eclipses 
everything  else.  It  is  the  last,  most  brilliant  flash  of  the 
Light  of  the  World  before  sunset.^ 

But  why  are  the  other  three  Gospels  silent  on  this 
greatest  and  most  impressive  of  all  the  miracles  of  the 
Lord  ?  There  must  have  been  weighty  reasons  for  pass- 
ing it  by.  We  must  remember  that  the  Synoptists 
represent  the  earliest  tradition  of  the  life  and  work  of 
the  Lord  as  it  was  told  and  retold  in  the  gathering  of 
the  first  Christian  congregations,  and  in  their  regular 
services  from  Lord's  day  to  Lord's  day.  This  tradition, 
as  it  began  to  take  a  fixed  form  since  the  day  of  Pen- 
tecost, only  a  few  weeks  after  the  events  here  recorded, 
avoided  for  good  and  weighty  reasons  any  special  refer- 
ence to  the  quiet  little  family  in  Bethany,  and  particularly 
to  Lazarus,  who  had  been  raised  from  the  dead.  The 
avowed  design  of  the  rulers  and  Pharisees,  to  kill  Lazarus 
also(xii.  10)  is  in  itself  sufficient  to  explain  this  silence.  And 
then,  great  as  the  miracle  in  Bethany  was,  it  w'as  in  its 
turn  eclipsed  by  the  greater  one  in  Joseph's  garden  on 
Easter  morning.  The  resurrection  of  the  Lord  formed 
the  one  prominent  theme  on  which  all  the  rays  of  the 
synoptical  record  unite.  If  the  raising  of  Lazarus  helped 
to  cause  and  to  accelerate  the  death  of  the  Lord,  the 
resurrection  of  Christ  was  the  great  victory  of  the  Mes- 
siah-King, which  is  supreme  in  the  Synoptical  account. 

The  little  village  of  Bethany  (house  of  the  poor,  the 
suffering),  situated  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  southern 
part  of  Mount  Olivet,  is  designated  as  the  home  of  Mary 
and  Martha,  though  the  names  of  these  sisters  had  never 

1  Spinoza  said  of  this  miracle,  if  he  could.be  convinced  of  the  historical 
reality  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  he  would  willingly  demolish  his  whole 
pliilosophical  system  and  accept  the  common  Christian  faith. 


144  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xi.  1-5. 

before  been  mentioned  in  the  fourth  Gospel, — an  evidence 
tliat  they  were  supposed  to  be  known  to  all  the  readers. 
Though  Martha  was  evidently  at  the  head  of  the  little 
family  in  Bethany,  Mary's  name  is  mentioned  first  in  this 
connection,  on  account  of  her  significant  anointing  of  the 
Lord,  which  is  told  in  the  next  chapter.  The  message 
by  which  the  sisters  inform  the  Lord  of  their  brother's 
sickness  is  framed  in  the  most  tender  and  delicate  man- 
ner. "  Lord,  behold,  he  whom  Thou  lovest  is  sick." 
They  do  not  despair  of  His  love,  or  find  fault  with 
Him,  because  he  whom  He  loves  is  sick.  They  know 
that  those  whom  the  Lord  loves  may,  yes  must,  have 
their  share  in  the  sufferings  and  trials  of  this  life.  They 
do  not  ask  the  Lord  to  come,  though,  of  course,  it  is 
their  firm  belief,  if  only  the  Lord  were  here,  the  brother 
would  not  die. 

The  Lord's  attitude  in  the  face  of  this  touching  appeal 
seems  rather  strange  at  first  sight.  "  This  sickness  is  not 
unto  death,  but  for  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  Son  of  God 
may  be  glorified  thereby," — and  then  "  He  abode  at  that 
time  two  days  in  the  place  where  He  was."  And,  as  if 
to  solve  the  riddle,  contained  in  these  two  sentences,  the 
Evangelist  inserts  between  them  the  assuring  statement  : 
"  Now — however  strange  this  may  seem  to  you — Jesus 
loved  Martha  and  her  sister  and  Lazarus."  But  "  the 
Son  can  do  nothing  of  Himself."  He  is  bound  to  the 
hour  which  the  Father  will  show  Him.  At  the  hour  when 
the  message  from  Bethany  reached  the  Lord,  Lazarus 
was  dying  or,  most  likely,  dead  already,  and  then,  accord- 
ing to  Oriental  custom,^  he  was  buried  on  the  very  same 

1  Not,  however,  the  ancient  custom  of  the  Patriarchs  or  the  Egyptians, 
but  of  later  origin  ;  possibly  arising  from  an  anxiety  to  avoid  the  contact 
with  the  dead,  and  thereby  to  become  unclean  according  to  the  Levitical 
law. 


XI.  6-1 6.]  CHArTEK  XL  145 

day  when  Christ  heard  of  his  sickness.  Two  days  after 
this  the  Lord  startled  His  disciples  with  the  sudden 
announcement :  "  Let  us  go  into  Jud.va  again."  They 
dread  it  as  the  place  where  His  life  is  in  manifest  danger. 
But  Christ  knows  His  time  and  His  safety  in  the  way  of 
His  calling.  True,  the  last  hour  of  the  day  of  His  life  is 
approaching  ;  but  He  still  walks  in  the  light  of  His  day  ; 
under  the  Father's  guidance  and  protection.  Thus  it  is 
impossible  for  Him  to  stumble  (ver.  9,  10).  At  last  He 
tells  His  disciples,  who  did  not  understand  the  heavenly 
terminology,  "  Our  friend  Lazarus  is  fallen  asleep  ;  "  in 
plain  earthly  language,  "  Lazarus  is  dead."  And  imme- 
diately the  heavenly  victory  of  faith  and  life  over  the 
temporary  conquests  of  death  bursts  out  again  triumph- 
antly in  the  following  words  :  "  I  am  glad  for  your  sakes 
that  I  was  not  there,  to  the  intent  ye  may  believe ; 
nevertheless,  let  us  go  unto  him."  But  the  disciples  are 
not  yet  able  to  catch  the  spirit  of  their  triumphant 
Master.  Peter,  the  always  ready  spokesman,  is  speech- 
less at  this  point.  In  his  heart  there  is  another  "  Be  it 
far  from  Thee,  Lord,"  but  he  suppresses  it,  remembering 
the  rebuke  received  before.  Another  must  speak  for  the 
twelve  this  time.  It  is  Thomas,  the  one  who  of  all  the 
disciples  is  inclined  to  see  the  darkest  side  and  to  cling 
with  morbid  tenacity  to  his  gloomy,  desperate  forebodings. 
Lazarus  dead  !  The  Lord  going  to  Jud?ea  and  sure  to  be 
killed  there  !  Every  light  extinct !  Nothing  left  to  us, 
but  to  go  also  and  to  die  with  Him!  If  there  is  not 
much  faith  in  these  words,  there  is  certainly  a  heroic 
devotion  in  them,  ready  to  go  into  death  for  the  beloved 
Lord. 
10 


146  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHxY.  [xi.  17-19. 

(B.)    TJie  Miracle  of  the  Raising   of  Lazarus  (xi.  17-44). 

I.  Arrival  of  Jesus  and  Conversation  ivitJi    Martha 
(xi.  17-27). 

17-27.  So  when  Jesus  came,  he  found  that  he  had  been  in  the  tomb 
four  days  already.  Now  Bethany  was  nigh  unto  Jerusalem,  about  fifteen 
furlongs  off;  and  many  of  the  Jews  had  come  to  Martha  and  Mary,  to  con- 
sole them  concerning  their  brother.  Martha  therefore,  when  she  heard  that 
Jesus  was  coming,  went  and  met  him :  but  Mary  still  sat  in  the  house. 
Martha  therefore  said  unto  Jesus,  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother 
had  not  died.  And  even  now  I  know  that,  whatsoever  thou  shalt  ask  of 
God,  God  will  give  thee.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again. 
Martha  saith  unto  him,  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection 
at  the  last  day.  Jesus  said  unto  her,  T  am  the  resurrection,  and  the  life  : 
he  that  believeth  on  me,  though  he  die,  yet  shall  he  live :  and  whosoever 
liveth  and  believeth  on  me  shall  never  die.  Believest  thou  this  ?  She  saith 
unto  him,  Yea,  Lord  :  I  have  believed  that  thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  even  he  that  cometh  into  the  world. 

By  the  time  that  Jesus  arrived  in  Bethany  Lazarus  had 
been  in  the  tomb  four  days.  (The  first,  the  day  when 
Jesus  received  the  message  ;  the  second  and  third  were  the 
days  of  His  delay  in  Pertea ;  the  fourth  the  day  of  His 
journey).  The  distance  from  Per^ea  to  Bethany  was 
about  twenty  miles,  so  that,  starting  early  in  the  morning, 
He  could  reach  the  village  on  the  afternoon  of  the  same 
day.  During  these  days  before  the  Lord's  arrival  "  many 
of  the  Jews  had  come  to  Martha  and  Mary  to  console 
them  concerning  their  brother."  These  friends  of  the 
family  evidently  belonged  to  the  ruling  party  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  it  is  not  impossible  that  they  used  the  affliction 
which  had  come  upon  the  sisters,  to  try  their  influence  with 
the  bereaved  household  against  Jesus,  who,  to  all  human 
appearances,  was  tarrying  unnecessarily  in  Peraea  and 
leaving  the  sisters  to  their  sorrow. 

Martha,  whose  character  all  through  this  chapter  is  in 


XI.  20-25.]  CHAPTER  XL  147 

striking  harmony  with  her  portraiture  in  Luke  x.  38-42, 
is  the  first  to  meet  the  Lord  on  His  arrival :  "  Lord,  if  Thou 
hadst  been  here  my  brother  had  not  died.  And  even  now 
I  know  that  whatsoever  Thou  shalt  ask  of  God,  God  will 
give  Thee."  And  to  the  prompt,  positive  assurance  of 
the  Lord  :  "  Thy  brother  shall  live  again,"  she  answers : 
"  I  know  that  he  shall  rise  again  in  the  resurrection, 
at  the  last  day."  There  is  in  these  expressions  of 
Martha  a  mixture  of  light  and  darkness,  strength  and 
weakness.  She  makes  no  complaint  against  the  Lord  on 
account  of  His  absence.  She  expresses  an  implicit  and 
heroic  confidence  in  Him.  His  presence  would  have 
kept  the  destroyer  from  their  threshold.  And  even  now 
there  is  no  limit  to  what  He  may  still  obtain  from  God, 
on  His  asking.  In  all  this  we  recognize  the  elements  of 
strong  faith  in  the  words  of  Martha.  But  the  way  she 
speaks  of  His  asking  God  (aheiv  0e6v')  is  rather  indefinite, 
and  not  up  to  the  standard  of  His  divine  majesty.  And 
her  answer  to  the  Lord's  direct  promise — "  Thy  brother 
shall  live  again  " — is  a  considerable  fallingoff  from  the  ex- 
alted position  her  faith  seemed  to  have  taken  before.  What 
the  Lord  sets  before  her,  so  to  speak,  within  present  reach, 
she  pushes  off  to  a  distant  future.  And  what  He  offered 
as  a  special  gift  and  privilege  from  Himself  she  treats  as 
a  sort  of  commonplace,  which  it  needed  no  prophet  to 
tell  her.  She  knew  that  herself.  All  the  Jews  could 
tell  her  that,  who  had  come  to  console  them  concerning 
their  brother.  But  here  is  another  comforter.  He  has 
infinitely  more  to  give  than  this  abstract  reference  to  a 
future  day  of  resurrection.  '^  I  aju  \.\\c  resurrection  and 
the  life ;  He  that  believeth  on  Me,  though  he  die,  yet 
shall  he  live,  and  whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  on  Me 
shall  never  die."  Here  again  is  that  great,  ever  re- 
curring "  I  am,"  the  living  water  for  the  Samaritan  wo- 


148  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xi.  25-27. 

man,  the  living  bread  from  heaven  for  the  Jews  in  Caper- 
naum ;  and  here  "  the  resurrection  and  the  Hfe  "  for  Mar- 
tha and  Mary  and  Lazarus  and  whosoever  will  believe  on 
Him.  It  is  the  very  soul  and  centre  of  this  whole  chapter. 
What  an  advance  from  that  indistinct,  far-off  "  he  shall 
rise  again  on  the  resurrection  at  the  last  day  "  to  this 
positive,  direct,  personal  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life — believest  thou  this?"  Here  is  the  great  point  for 
Martha,  the  **  one  thing  needful  "  on  this  occasion.  To 
look  to  the  present  Saviour  ;  to  grasp  and  to  have  life  in 
Him  by  faith  even  now  in  the  face  of  death  and  the 
tomb  ;  not  simply  looking  forward  with  resignation  to  a 
distant  future,  and  hoping  for  something  better  to  come, 
but  having  and  possessing  now,  in  the  midst  of  the  dark- 
est, dreariest  present,  Him  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the 
life.  This  is  the  true  faith  of  the  Christian,  this  is  what 
Martha  ought  to  believe. 

Christ  is  the  resurrection  because  He  is  the  life.  In 
Him  is  life  and  in  Him  the  constant  victory  of  life  in  its 
conflict  with  death,  that  is  resurrection.  He  is  the  Life 
of  the  living  and  the  resurrection  of  the  dying.  Through 
Him  we  reverse  the  old  song,  "  In  the  midst  of  life  we  are 
in  death,"  and  say  :  "  In  the  midst  of  death  we  have  life 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  Believing  in  Him  we 
draw  His  life,  with  all  its  victorious  power  over  death, 
into  the  very  centre  of  our  personality,  so  that  death  can- 
not touch  it.  Whosoever  has  been  awakened  to  new  life 
by  faith  in  Christ,  has  nothing  to  fear  from  death  ;  he  lives 
a  life  which  death  itself,  so  far  from  harming  it,  can  only 
bring  to  its  fullest,  most  glorious  development.  He  says 
with  Paul  :  "  To  me  to  live  is  Christ  and  to  die  is 
gain." 

Martha's  response  to  these  mighty  words  of  the  Lord 
is  another  plain  but  comprehensive  confession  added  to 


XI.  27-31]  CHAPTER  XI.  149 

those  of  the  Samaritan  \voman  (iv.  29),  Simon  Peter 
(vi.  68-69),  and  the  man  that  was  born  bhnd  (ix.  36-38): 
"  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  even  He  that 
Cometh  into  the  world."  Comparing  it  with  the  question 
of  the  Lord  (v.  26),  we  observe  that  this  is  not  an  exact 
answer  to  that  question.  She  is  not  yet  ready  and  able 
to  take  in  all  the  rich  treasures  contained  in  the  statement 
of  the  Lord  :  "  Resurrection — life — believing  on  Him — 
never  dying."  But  she  can  grasp  Him  in  whom  all  this  is 
treasured  up  ;  who  has  it  all  and  gives  it  all,  Jesus,  her 
Lord.  Of  Him  she  takes  hold  and  clings  to  Him,  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  In 
Him  she  has  the  one  and  all  she  needs. 

2.  Meeting  with  Mary  (xi.  28-37). 

28-37.  And  when  she  had  said  this,  she  went  away,  and  called  Mary  her 
sister  secretly,  saying,  The  Master  is  here,  andcalleth  thee.  And  she,  when 
she  heard  it,  arose  quickly,  and  went  unto  him.  (Now  Jesus  was  not  yet 
come  into  the  village,  but  was  still  in  the  place  where  Martha  met  him.) 
The  Jews  then  which  were  with  her  in  the  house,  and  were  comforting  her, 
when  they  saw  Mary,  that  she  rose  up  quickly  and  went  out,  followed  her, 
supposing  that  she  was  going  unto  the  tomb  to  weep  there.  Mary  there- 
fore, when  she  came  where  Jesus  was,  and  saw  him,  fell  down  at  his  feet, 
saying  unto  him.  Lord,  if  thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not  died. 
When  Jesus  therefore  saw  her  weeping,  and  the  Jews  also  weeping  which 
came  with  her,  he  groaned  in  the  spirit,  and  was  troubled,  and  said,  Where 
have  ye  laid  him?  They  say  unto  him.  Lord,  come  and  see.  Jesus  wept. 
The  Jews  therefore  said.  Behold  how  he  loved  him !  But  some  of  them 
said,  Could  not  this  man,  which  opened  the  eyes  of  him  that  was  blind, 
have  caused  that  this  man  also  should  not  die  "> 

The  Master  must  have  asked  for  Mary,  for  Martha 
called  her  out  to  meet  Him.  He  was  unwilling  to  come 
into  the  house  for  fear  of  creating  an  excitement.  But 
He  could  not  be  hidden.  The  Jews  in  the  house  followed 
Mary  first  to  the  Lord,  then  to  the  tomb.  At  the  meet- 
ing with  the   Lord  we  hear  from  Mary  the  same  words 


150  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xi.  32-37. 

which  had  been  on  the  sisters'  Hps  all  through  those  weary 
and  anxious  hours  at  the  sickbed  and  deathbed  of  Laza- 
rus :  "  Lord,  if  Thou  hadst  been  here,  my  brother  had  not 
died."  More  she  cannot  say  ;  she  sinks  down  under  the 
weight  of  her  sorrow  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.  Nor  has  the 
Lord  anything  to  say  to  her.  Seeing  her  weeping  and 
the  Jews  also  weeping,  He  "  was  moved  with  indignation 
in  the  spirit  and  troubled  Himself."  This  emotion  must 
not  be  confounded  with  the  weeping  of  the  Lord  (v.  36). 
The  marginal  note  of  the  Revised  Version  gives  us  the 
full  meaning  of  the  original.  Christ  was  filled  with  in- 
dignation. The  woe  and  misery  of  this  world,  particu- 
larly the  destruction  and  sorrows  of  death,  the  source  from 
which  all  this  weeping  sprang,  the  sin  of  the  world,  and 
behind  all  this  the  prince  of  this  world,  with  the  power  of 
death,  to  whose  bondage  even  His  beloved  ones  were  sub- 
ject, so  that  their  eyes  were  holden,  that  they  could  not 
see  the  glory  of  God, — all  these  thoughts  provoked  in 
His  spirit  a  holy  wrath  and  indignation.  He  masters 
His  emotion  with  the  question  :  "  Where  have  ye  laid 
him?"  And  they  lead  Him  to  the  tomb  with  that  sug- 
gestive invitation  :  "  Come  and  see."  He  came,  He  saw, 
He  conquered.  But  before  the  glory  of  the  God-man  is 
thus  manifested.  His  true  human  heart,  His  tender  feeling 
and  compassion  is  revealed.  Jesus  wept.  And  even  here 
in  this  sanctuary  of  the  holy  narrative,  once  more  a  division 
among  the  Jews; — some,  deeply  moved  by  the  tears  of 
the  Lord,  the  testimony  of  His  love  for  Lazarus;  others, 
finding  fault  with  "  this  man  "  even  at  this  point,  for  not 
preventing  the  death  of  Lazarus. 

3.  Jcsns  at  the  Tomb  (xi.  38-44). 

38-44.     Jesus  therefore  again  groaning  in  himself  cometh  to  the  tomb. 
Now  it  was  a  cave,  and  a  stone  lay  against  it.     Jesus  saith,  Take  ye  away 


XI.  3<S-40-]  CHATTER  XT.  151 

the  stone.  Martha,  the  sister  of  him  that  was  dead,  saith  unto  him.  Lord, 
by  this  time  he  stinlteth :  for  he  hath  been  dead  four  days.  Jesus  saith 
unto  her,  Said  I  not  unto  thee,  that,  if  thou  believedst,  thou  shouldest 
see  the  glory  of  God  .>  So  they  took  away  the  stone.  And  Jesus  lifted  up 
his  eyes,  and  said,  Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  heardest  me.  And  I  knew 
that  thou  hearest  me  always :  but  because  of  the  multitude  which  standeth 
around  I  said  it,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me.  And 
when  he  had  thus  spoken,  he  cried  with  a  loud  voice,  Lazarus,  come 
forth.  He  that  was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave- 
clothes  ;  and  his  face  was  bound  about  with  a  napkin.  Jesus  saith  unto 
them,  Loose  him,  and  let  him  go. 

Gradually,  step  by  step,  the  Lord  leads  them  up  to  the 
greatest  of  all  His  signs.  Whatever  human  hands  can 
do  in  assisting  and  preparing  the  way  for  Him  they  are 
allowed  to  do  :  "  Take  ye  away  the  stone."  But  Martha 
half  interferes  with  this  order  of  the  Master,  quite  over- 
come with  the  natural  horror  at  the  thought  that  the 
body  should  be  brought  out  at  this  stage,  for  a  last 
parting  look  of  the  Friend  and  Master.  Her  faith  is  at 
its  lowest  ebb  in  the  face  of  the  fearful  realities  of  death 
which  obtrude  themselves  on  the  senses.  There  is  not  a 
trace  left  in  her  words  of  that  trust,  "  that  whatsoever 
He  shall  ask  of  God,  God  will  give  Him."  Every  hope 
is  finally  relegated  to  "  the  last  day."  The  answer  of  the 
Lord  is  a  direct,  though  gentle  rebuke  of  her  lack  of 
faith  :  "  Said  I  not  unto  thee  that  if  thou  believedst,  thou 
shouldest  see  the  glory  of  God  ?  "  Where  our  natural 
senses  perceive  nothing  but  death  and  destruction,  with 
all  its  horror  and  humiliation,  there  the  Lord  calls  in  that 
"  sixth  sense,"  as  faith  has  sometimes  been  named,  "  to 
see  the  glory  of  God."  Faith  and  nothing  but  faith  is 
the  organ  to  perceive  the  glory  of  God.  The  natural 
man  desires  first  to  see  and  then  to  believe,  Christ  re- 
verses the  order :  first  believe  and  thou  shalt  sec!  Be- 
lieving is  seeing  the  glory  of  God  in  His  present  word. 
Therefore   the   Lord  reminds   Martha  pointedly  of   His 


1^2  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xi.  40-42. 

word  :  ''  Said  I  not  unto  thee — "  He  had  said  so  in  the 
message  returned  to  Bethany:  "This  sickness  is  not  unto 
death  but  for  the  glory  of  God  that  the  Son  of  God  may 
be  glorified  thereby."  He  had  said  so,  when  He  assured 
Martha,  "  he  that  believeth  on  Me,  though  he  die,  yet 
shall  he  live."     (See  also  ii.  11  and  i.  14.) 

And  now,  the  stone  being  taken  away,  Jesus  lifted  up 
His  eyes  and  said  :  Father,  etc.  (ver.  41  and  42).  This 
praying  of  Jesus  with  eyes  lifted  up  to  the  hills  whence 
Cometh  our  help,  together  with  the  weeping  of  Jesus 
(ver.  36),  marks  the  true  human  nature  of  the  incarnate 
Word,  which  in  this  narrative  of  the  glorification  of  the 
Son  of  God  is  again  and  again  most  graphically  brought 
out.  What  a  reminder  this  prayer  was  to  Martha  of  that 
highest  flight  of  her  faith,  when  she  had  said,  "  I  know 
that  whatsoever  Thou  shalt  ask  of  God,  God  will  give 
Thee."  And  yet,  what  a  correction  and  advance  beyond 
Martha's  ideas.  Instead  of  "  God,"  it  is  the  "  Father," 
Instead  of  asking,  it  is  "  I  thank  Thee."  How  far  above 
the  petitions  to  which  Martha  referred,  is  this  triumphant 
"  Father,  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou  heardest  me  and  I 
know  (knew)  that  Thou  hearest  Me  always." 

And  "  the  multitude  "  also,  "  which  standeth  around," 
is  in  the  Lord's  mind,  as  He  utters  this  prayer.  In  spite 
of  their  opposition  and  unbelief,  with  which  they  grieved 
Him  so  often,  it  is  the  yearning  of  His  heart,  that,  if  it 
were  possible,  even  now  they  might  be  enabled  to  catch 
the  inspiration  of  this  hour  and  join  in  "  seeing  the  glory 
of  God."  Never  was  there  sucli  an  opportunity  for  the 
Lord,  in  the  face  of  death  and  corruption,  surrounded  by 
a  multitude  which  filled  the  very  air  with  the  miasma  of 
unbelief, — to  make  the  boldest  and  most  solemn  appeal 
to  the  Father,  to  testify  of  the  Son,  to  glorify  Him  be- 
fore the  world,  to  give  Him  that  most  impressive  of  all 


XI.  42-44]  CHAPTER  XL  153 

His  works,  which  would  enable  them  to  beheve  that  the 
Father  did  send  liim.  There  is  only  one  parallel  to  the 
crisis  of  this  scene  in  the  whole  compass  of  sacred  history  ; 
it  is  Elijah  on  Mount  Carmel,  standing  before  the  altar, 
surrounded  by  the  multitude  and  crying  to  the  Lord, 
God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob  :  "  Hear  mc,  O  Lord, 
hear  me,  that  this  people  may  know  that  Thou  art  the 
Lord  God."  But  the  scene  at  Lazarus'  tomb  is  a  New 
Testament  scene,  and  its  glory  is  not  that  of  fiery  Elijah, 
like  a  great  and  strong  wind,  rending  the  mountains, 
breaking  the  rocks  in  pieces,  and  bringing  inexorable 
judgment  upon  the  enemies  of  Jehovah.  It  is  the  glory 
of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Father  full  of  grace  and 
truth.  And  therefore,  before  He  manifests  this  glory 
that  their  eyes  may  see  it,  the  Son  of  God  is  willing  to 
grant  to  their  hearts  an  insight  into  His  relation  to  the 
Father  and  the  wonderful  communion  between  the 
Father  and  the  Son.  The  multitude,  as  far  as  it  was 
possible  to  admit  them  to  it,  received  in  that  prayer  at 
Lazarus'  tomb  a  taste  of  those  treasures  and  mysteries 
unfolded  to  the  disciples  in  the  parting  discourses  and  in 
the  mediatorial  prayer  (John  xiii.-xvii.).  "  And  when  He 
had  thus  spoken.  He  cried  with  a  loud  voice  :  "  Lazarus 
come  forth."  Nothing  could  be  more  majestic  than  the 
simplicity  of  the  two  little  words  which  .in  the  original 
embody  the  command  of  the  Lord  to  Lazarus.  There  is 
not  even  a  verb  in  them.  "  Hither  !  Out  of  there  !  " 
that  is  all.  Out  of  the  tomb,  the  darkness,  dishonor  and 
corruption  ;  JiitJier  to  Christ,  to  resurrection  and  life,  to 
light  and  glory  imperishable  and  undefiled  !  "  He  that 
was  dead  came  forth,  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave- 
clothes  ;  and  his  face  bound  ^ about  with  a  napkin." 
Every  little  touch  of  that  memorable  scene  noticed  by 
the  eye-witness,  photographed  on  the  spot  in  the  memory 


154  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xi.  44,  45. 

of  the  beloved  disciple.  And  "  Jesus  saith  unto  them  : 
Loose  him  and  let  him  go  !  "  The  last  word  of  the  Lord, 
sealing  His  triumph  over  death  and  the  tomb,  "  Let 
him  go."  He  knew  what  the  breaking  of  this  tomb,  the 
loosing  of  Lazarus'  bonds  meant  for  Himself !  It  was 
His  own  death  warrant.  A  few  days,  and  Christ  Himself 
will  be  "  bound  hand  and  foot  with  grave-clothes,"  and 
the  stone  and  seal  will  lock  the  tomb  in  Joseph's  garden. 
But  it  is  "  the  resurrection  and  the  life  "  which  they  en- 
close in  that  tomb.  It  is  impossible  that  it  should  hold 
Him.  Again  a  few  days  and  Peter  and  John  and  those 
devout  women  find  the  stone  rolled  away — this  time  by 
angels'  hands — from  the  sepulchre.  They  enter  in,  no 
odor  of  corruption  there  ;  they  behold  the  linen  cloths 
lying,  and  the  napkin,  that  was  upon  His  head,  rolled  up 
in  a  place  by  itself.  Other  hands  had  attended  to  the 
"  loosing  "  there.  And  angels  greet  them  with  the 
Easter-message  :  "  Why  seek  ye  the  Living  among  the 
dead  ?     He  is  not  here.     He  is  risen  !  " 

(C.)   The  Effect  of  the  Miracle  (xi.  45-57). 
I.   On  those  Present  at  the  Tomb  (xi.  45-46). 

45-46.  Many  therefore  of  the  Jews,  which  came  to  Mary  and  beheld 
that  which  he  did,  believed  on  him.  But  some  of  them  went  away  to  the 
Pharisees,  and  told  them  the  things  which  Jesus  had  done. 

The  Evangelist  has  not  a  word  to  say  of  the  effect 
which  the  miracle  in  Bethany  had  on  the  members  of 
that  little  family  itself,  on  Martha  and  Mary  and  Lazarus. 
It  belongs  to  those  things  which  can  be  better  felt  than 
described.  But  he  speaks  of  the  multitude  which  had 
witnessed  that  sign.  Some  hold  that  those  verses  mean 
to  say  :  "The  impression  made  by  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
was  the  same  on  all  those  that  were  present  ;  even  those 


XI.  46,  47]  CHAPTER  XT.  155 

that  went  away  to  the  Pharisees  and  told  them  the  things 
which  Jesus  had  done,"  believing  on  Jesus  and  trying  to 
convince  the  Pharisees  of  His  true  Messianic  authority 
and  character.  But  the  manifest  contrast  between  the 
"  many  "  that  believed  and  the  "  some  "  that  went  away 
to  the  Pharisees,  seems  to  forbid  this  interpretation.  We 
find  here  again  the  well-known  "  division  "  among  the 
Jews.  Those  that  went  to  the  Pharisees,  being  probably 
the  same  who  found  fault  even  when  the  Lord  was  weep- 
ing at  the  tomb,  did  not  make  their  report  to  the  rulers 
in  a  kindly  spirit,  nor  in  a  neutral  attitude,  simply  asking 
for  their  opinion,  but  with  hostile  intention. 

2.  Effect  on  the  Chief  Priests  (xi.  47-53). 

47-53.  The  chief  priests  therefore  and  the  Pharisees  gathered  a  council, 
and  said,  What  do  we  }  for  this  man  doeth  many  signs.  If  we  let  him 
thus  alone,  all  men  will  believe  on  him  :  and  the  Romans  will  come  and 
take  away  both  our  place  and  our  nation.  But  a  certain  one  of  them, 
Caiaphas,  being  high  priest  that  year,  said  unto  them,  Ye  know  nothing  at 
all,  nor  do  ye  take  account  that  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  one  man  should 
die  for  the  people,  and  that  the  whole  nation  perish  not.  Now  this  he  said 
not  of  himselt  ;  but  being  high  priest  that  year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus 
should  die  for  the  nation  ;  and  not  for  the  nation  only,  but  that  he  might 
also  gather  together  into  one  the  children  of  God  that  are  scattered  abroad. 
So  from  that  day  forth  they  took  counsel  that  they  might  put  him  to 
death. 

The  Chief  Priests  and  the  Pharisees  on  hearing  the 
news  of  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  "  gathered  a  council  and 
said :  What  do  we  ?  for  this  man  doeth  many  signs." 
Note  the  testimony  which,  however,  unwillingly,  they 
give  here,  as  on  other  occasions,  concerning  the  Lord 
and  His  powerful  manifestations.  "  This  man  doeth 
many  signs."  It  reminds  us  of  the  concession  and  con- 
fession with  which  Nicodemus  introduced  himself  to  the 
Lord.     But  of  these  "  many  signs  "   even  the  last   and 


156  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xi.  47-50. 

greatest  only  proves  that  icy  death  and  the  tomb  itself 
will  yield  to  the  power  of  Jesus,  rather  than  the  unbeliev- 
ing hearts  of  the  Pharisees.  "  If  we  let  Him  thus  alone," 
they  continue,  "  all  men  will  believe  on  Him,  and  the 
Romans  will  come  and  take  away  both  our  place  and  our 
nation."  The  logic  of  this  high-sounding  patriotism 
sounds  rather  forced  and  obscure.  Why  should  the 
believing  on  Christ  bring  the  Romans  upon  them  and 
involve  the  nation  in  a  catastrophe  ?  It  could  only  be 
understood  on  another  premise  which  remains  hidden 
in  their  hearts :  Believing  on  Christ  means  falling  away 
from  the  authority  of  the  rulers  and  chief  priests.  And 
to  this  threatened  loss  of  their  influence  they  will  not 
quietly  submit.  There  Avill  be  a  disturbance,  and  thus  an 
opportunity  will  be  offered  to  the  Romans  to  wipe  out 
finally  the  national  independence  of  Israel.  This  last 
part  of  their  statement  is  correct  enough  in  itself.  It  is 
a  true  prophecy,  unconsciously  uttered,  like  that  of 
Caiaphas  which  follows.  "  The  Romans  will  come  and 
take  away  their  place  and  their  nation,"  but  not  because 
they  believe  on  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  accept  Him  as  the 
Messiah,  but  because  they  knew  not  the  time  of  their 
visitation  and  rejected  the  stone,  of  which  it  is  written : 
"  Every  one  that  falleth  on  that  stone  shall  be  broken  to 
pieces ;  but  on  whomsoever  it  shall  fall,  it  will  scatter 
him  as  dust"  (Luke  xx.  18). 

"  But  a  certain  one  of  them,  Caiaphas,  being  high  priest 
that  year,  said  unto  them  :  Ye  know  nothing  at  all,  nor 
do  ye  take  account  that  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  one 
man  should  die  for  the  people  and  that  the  whole  nation 
perish  not."  These  are  the  words  of  the  heartless,  un- 
scrupulous politician,  an  overbearing,  domineering  char- 
acter of  one-sided  cold  intellectualism,  to  whom  men  are 
only  means  to  reach  his  own  selfish  ends.     By  destroying 


xr.  50-52.]  CHAPTER  XI.  157 

the  man  who  claimed  to  be  the  Messiah,  he  advises  them 
to  secure  the  favor  and  good-will  of  the  Romans.  And 
the  people,  being  involved  in  the  killing  of  the  Messiah, 
would  then  be  freed  from  His  powerful  influence,  and 
bound  more  firmly  than  ever  to  Pharisaic  leadership. 
This  was  the  logic  of  the  astute  politician  in  the  see  of 
the  highpriest,  and  history  showed  that  it  was  correct 
enough  as  far  as  it  went. 

But  his  words  had  a  significance,  far  beyond  what 
Caiaphas  meant  and  was  conscious  of,  for  Christ  Himself 
and  His  everlasting  kingdom.  "  This  he  said  not  of  himself : 
but  being  highpriest  that  year,  he  prophesied  that  Jesus 
should  die  for  the  nation  ;  and  not  for  the  nation  only, 
but  that  he  might  also  gather  together  into  one  the 
children  of  God  that  are  scattered  abroad."  There  are 
some  passages  in  the  Old  Testament  indicating  that, 
under  certain  circumstances,  the  highpriest  in  his  official 
capacity  asked  counsel  before  the  Lord  for  leading  men 
"  after  the  judgment  of  Urim"  (Exod.  xxviii.  30  ;  Numb, 
xxvii.  21,  in  Joshua's  case,  i  Sam.  xxii.  10,  the  priest 
inquired  of  the  Lord  for  David,  i  Sam.  xxx.  7,  David 
himself  inquiring  of  the  Lord,  in  the  highpriest's  ephod), 
and  thus  became  a  mediator  of  divine  revelation  for 
certain  specified  cases.  But  in  later  times  there  is  no 
trace  of  such  revelation  through  the  highpriest.  The 
office  of  prophesying  belonged  to  the  prophet,  whenever 
there  were  prophets  in  Israel.  But  Caiaphas  "  being 
highpriest  that  year  prophesied."  Every  time,  when 
Caiaphas  is  mentioned,  that  year  is  emphasized  (ver.  49, 
51,  and  ch.  xviii.  13).  The  Evangelist  does  not  mean  to 
tell  his  readers  (as  some  have  interpreted  him)  that  the 
office  of  the  highpriest  changed  its  incumbent  from  year 
to  year.  He  is  too  much  of  a  Jew  to  make  such  a  mis- 
statement.     He  knows   that  the   office  of  the   highpriest 


158  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JO H^^.  [xi.  51-52. 

according  to  the  Mosaic  law  was  to  be  for  life.  But  he 
also  knows  that  in  those  days,  owing  to  constant  political 
disturbances  and  outside  influences,  there  were  frequent 
changes  of  incumbents  of  that  ofifice.  Still  Caiaphas  held 
it  for  at  least  eleven  years  (25-36  A.  D.).  And  holding 
the  highest  theocratic  office  in  that  year  of  the  death  of 
Christ,  he  designated  Jesus  as  the  sacrifice  for  the  people. 
There  is  a  deep  divine  irony  in  the  fact,  that  "the  perish- 
ing priesthood,  against  the  knowledge  and  the  will  of  the 
office  bearer,"  had  thus  to  announce  the  one  true  atoning 
offering  of  the  New  Testament  Highpriest,  by  which  all 
the  sacrifices  and  the  priesthood  itself  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment were  to  be  fulfilled  and  abolished  for  ever;  as 
Daniel  said  "  to  finish  the  transgression  and  to  make  an 
end  of  sins  and  to  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity  and  to 
bring  in  everlasting  righteousness ;  He  shall  cause  the 
sacrifice  and  the  oblation  to  cease"     (Ch.  ix.  24,  27). 

But  this  great  New  Testament  principle  "one  died  for 
all"  (see  11  Cor.  v.  14),  reaches  far  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  Jewish  nation,  "  not  -for  the  nation  only,  but  that  He 
might  also  gather  together  into  one  the  children  of  God 
that  were  scattered  abroad."  So  far  from  bringing  ruin 
upon  His  people,  as  the  Pharisees  said,  He  will  spread 
salvation  and  blessing  among  the  Gentiles  and  add  to  the 
true  spiritual  Israel  those  that  were  far  off  and  strangers 
from  the  covenants  of  the  promise,  making  them  fellow- 
citizens  with  the  saints  and  of  the  household  of  God 
(Eph.  ii.  11-19). 

Thus  the  unwilling  and  uncooscious  prophecy  of  the 
highpriest  of  the  Jews  forms  the  most  appropriate  and 
striking  introduction  to  the  history  of  Christ's  passion. 
Through  the  open  door  of  that  council-room  of  the  San- 
hedrim in  Jerusalem  we  are  permitted  to  cast  a  glance 
into  the  heavenly   council   chamber,  where   "  the  deter- 


XI.  51-56.]  CHAPTER  XI.  159 

minatc  counsel  and  foreknowledge  of  God  "  (Acts  ii.  23) 
ordained,  that  it  "  behooved  the  Christ  to  suffer  these 
things  and  to  enter  into  His  glory  ;  "  and  we  are  assured 
that,  whatsoever  human  and  satanic  craft  and  wickedness 
may  plan  in  those  days,  God's  counsel  of  salvation  will 
overrule  it  all,  bringing  light  out  of  darkness,  and  glory 
and  victory  out  of  what  seemed  to  be  shame  and  defeat. 


3.    TJie  Lord's  Retreat  into  Ephraivi  (xi.  54-57). 

54-57.  Jesus  therefore  walked  no  more  openly  among  the  Jews,  but  de- 
parted thence  into  the  country  near  to  the  wilderness,  into  a  city  called 
Ephraim  ;  and  there  he  tarried  with  the  disciples.  Now  the  passover  of 
the  Jews  was  at  hand ;  and  many  went  up  to  Jerusalem  out  of  the  country 
before  the  passover,  to  purify  themselves.  They  sought  therefore  for  Jesus, 
and  spake  one  with  another,  as  they  stood  in  the  temple.  What  think  ye  "i 
That  he  will  not  come  to  the  feast  ?  Now  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees 
had  given  commandment,  that,  if  any  man  knew  where  he  was,  he  should 
shew  it,  that  they  might  take  him. 

The  exact  situation  of  Ephraim,  to  which  place  the 
Lord  retired,  cannot  be  determined.  It  was  evidently  to 
the  north-east  of  Jerusalem,  on  the  borders  of  the  wil- 
derness of  Judah,  giving  the  Lord  a  choice  between  the 
Easter-caravans  from  Galilee  or  from  Peraea,  whenever  He 
was  ready  to  join  the  pilgrims  to  that  last  Passover.  The 
excitement,  caused  by  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  continued 
unabated  even  after  the  Lord's  departure.  There  are 
the  pilgrims  from  the  country,  on  their  arrival  in  Jeru- 
salem, standing  around  in  groups  on  the  temple  area,  the 
questions  as  to  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  His  coming  to  the 
feast  being  the  principal  theme  of  their  conversation. 
"  What  think  ye  ?  Will  He  come  ?  Or  will  He  not  come 
to  the  feast?"  Thus  they  continually  asked,  until  these 
questions  found  their  final  answer  by  the  multitude  itself 
in  their  jubilant :  "  Hosanna  !   Blessed  is  He  that  cometh 


i6o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHA\  [\i.  56,57. 

in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  even  the  King  of  Israel."  Such 
an  open,  pubhc  entrance,  the  enemies  of  Christ  would 
fain  have  prevented.  They  planned  to  take  Him  quietly 
before  the  feast,  and  to  deliver  Him  up  in  Jerusalem  as 
a  criminal.  A  Jewish  tradition  (Babyl.  Gemara,  about 
550  A.  D.)  says,  that  for  forty  days  before  the  passover  a 
court-crier  publicly  proclaimed  :  "  He  must  be  stoned  to 
death,  that  man  who  leads  the  people  astray  by  His  de- 
ceptions. Whosoever  has  anything  to  say  in  His  de- 
fence, let  him  come  forward  and  speak.  But  nothing 
being  found  to  defend  Him,  He  was  crucified  on  Passover 
evening." — (Lightfoot,  quoted  by  Godet.) 


CHAPTER  XII. 

IV.    The  End  of  the  Public  Ministry  of  Christ 

(Ch.  xii.). 

(A.)    The  Supper  at  Bethany  (xii.  i-8). 

1-8.  Jesus  therefore  six  days  before  the  passover  came  to  Bethany, 
where  Lazarus  was,  whom  Jesus  raised  from  the  dead.  So  they  made  him 
a  supper  there :  and  Martha  served ;  but  Lazarus  was  one  of  them  that 
sat  at  meat  with  him.  Mary  therefore  took  a  pound  of  ointment  of  spike- 
nard, very  precious,  and  anointed  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  wiped  his  feet  with 
her  hair :  and  the  house  was  filled  with  the  odour  of  the  ointment.  But 
Judas  Iscariot,  one  of  his  disciples,  which  should  betray  him,  saith.  Why 
was  not  this  ointment  sold  for  three  hundred  pence,  and  given  to  the 
poor?  Now  this  he  said,  not  because  he  cared  for  the  poor;  but  because 
he  was  a  thief,  and  having  the  bag  took  away  what  was  put  therein. 
Jesus  therefore  said.  Suffer  her  to  keep  it  against  the  day  of  my  burying. 
For  the  poor  ye  have  always  with  you  ;  but  me  ye  have  not  always. 

From  Ephraim  the  Lord  went  down  to  Jericho  and 
there  j'oined  one  of  the  caravans  of  pilgrims  coming  up 
from  Pergea  for  the  Easter  festival  in  Jerusalem.  Plaving 
arrived  with  them  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  city,  prob- 
ably on  Friday  evening,  in  the  week  previous  to  His 
death,  He  stayed  in  Bethany  while  the  other  travellers 
at  once  proceeded  to  Jerusalem.  The  Supper  which  was 
there  prepared  for  Him  took  place  on  the  Sabbath  pre- 
ceding the  Passover.  It  was  not  in  the  house  of  Martha, 
nor  arranged  by  her  family  exclusively,  but  by  the  larger 
circle  of  friends  in  Bethany,  believers  on  Christ,  who 
thereby  boldly  expressed  their  devotion  to  Him  in  the 
face  of  the  hostility  and  persecution,  instigated  by  the 
II  i6i 


l62  TJIE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xii.  2,  3. 

Rulers  in  Jerusalem.  Of  course  Martha  was  there  and 
Lazarus  and  Mary,  each  of  them  in  that  peculiar  place 
and  attitude  ascribed  to  them  respectively  in  the  Gospel : 
Martha  serving,  Lazarus  sitting  at  meat  with  Him,  and 
Mary  coming  in  with  the  precious  ointment. 

Matthew  and  Mark  record  this  anointing  of  the  Lord 
after  His  entrance  into  Jerusalem  ;  using  it  as  a  most 
beautiful  opening  of  the  Passion-history,  in  striking  con- 
trast to  the  betrayal  of  Judas.  But  their  arrangement 
here,  as  on  other  points,  is  m.ore  with  reference  to  matter 
than  to  time  ;  whilst  the  fourth  Gospel  is  most  exact  in 
its  chronological  statements.  Especially  here,  where  we 
come  to  the  last  week  of  the  Lord's  life  before  His  death 
and  resurrection,  we  find  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  as  careful 
and  detailed  in  its  dates  as  in  the  first  week  of  the  Lord's 
public  ministry,  described  in  the  first  two  chapters.  The 
incident  at  the  Supper  in  Bethany  is  most  fully  recorded 
by  John,  and  its  connection  both  with  the  raising  of 
Lazarus  and  the  death  and  resurrection  of  the  Lord,  is 
clearly  indicated  in  this  Gospel. 

The  anointing  of  the  Lord  with  that  precious  spikenard 
the  value  of  which,  so  well  known  to  Judas,  was  about 
fifty  dollars  of  our  money,  was  prompted  in  part  by 
Mary's  feeling  of  gratitude  to  the  Lord  for  all  that  He 
had  done  for  her  family,  for  the  restoration  of  her 
brother,  for  the  spiritual  blessings  which  He  had  showered 
upon  them.  Nothing  is  too  precious  and  expensive,  let 
it  all  go  in  the  service  and  for  the  glory  of  her  Lord  and 
Master.  As  the  odor  of  that  ointment  filled  the  whole 
house,  so  her  very  soul  is  poured  but  in  fervent  devotion 
to  Jesus.  She  is  indifferent  even  to  the  possible  charge 
of  a  lack  of  modesty,  for  unloosing  her  hair  and  wiping 
the  feet  of  the  Lord  with  the  ornament  of  her  woman- 
hood.    Mary's  action  was  however  severely  criticised  on 


XII.  4-7-]  CHAPTER  XII.  163 

the  part  of  the  disciples.  Matthew  and  Mark  only  tell 
us  of  an  indignation  among  them  and  the  objections 
made  by  "  some."  But  John  marks  the  one  who  was  the 
author  of  this  attack,  and  who,  of  all  the  apostles  and 
guests  at  the  table  in  Bethany,  was  certainly  least  fitted 
and  disposed  to  appreciate  the  act  of  Mary, — Judas 
Iscariot,  the  betrayer  and  the  thief.  His  unkind  criticism 
arose  not  simply  from  that  spirit  of  covetousness  which 
was  his  besetting  sin,  but  he  was  provoked  by  all  these 
manifestations  of  love  and  devotion  for  the  Lord,  and  ever 
since  the  Lord  had  designated  him  as  the  "  devil  "  (John 
vi.  70),  he  was  ready  for  an  outburst  at  any  time.  His 
opportunity  in  this  case  was  well  chosen.  The  plain 
practicable  principle  of  utility,  dressed  up  in  the  garb  of 
charity  for  the  poor,  carried  away  even  a  number  of  dis- 
ciples. Certainly  not  John.  He  came  nearest  to  under- 
standing Mary,  and  he  saw  deepest  into  the  lie  and  hypo- 
crisy of  Judas,  who  did  not  in  reality  care  for  the  poor, 
but  for  the  bag  which  he  carried,  and  in  which  he  took 
away  what  was  put  therein. 

The  Lord  Himself  takes  up  the  defence  of  Mary.  Hers 
was  a  beautiful  work,  done  to  Him,  not  without  deep 
meaning  and  for  a  good  purpose.  The  very  thing  which 
Judas  denies,  the  Lord  asserts  in  a  manner  particularly 
severe  for  the  man  whose  heart  was  filled  with  thoughts 
of  betrayal.  If  Judas  was  planning  the  preparatory 
steps  for  the  death  of  the  Lord,  Mary  was  getting  ready 
for  the  burial  of  Him  whom  Judas  killed.  "  It  was 
right  that  she  kept  this  against  the  day  of  My  burying." 
Not  that  Mary  was  conscious  of  the  full  prophetical 
and  typical  meaning  of  her  act.  Her  love  to  Christ  makes 
her  a  prophet,  as  Caiaphas  had  turned  prophet  through 
his  hatred  to  Him.  But  apart  from  that  beautiful  signi- 
ficance in  Mary's  act,  anticipating  His  death   and   burial, 


164  THE  GOSPEL   OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xn.  7,  8. 

the  Lord  in  His  defence  points  out  some  principles  of 
abiding  value  for  His  church  of  all  times.  One  is,  when 
He  tells  His  disciples:  "  The  poor  ye  have  always  with 
you,"  with  ample  opportunity  and  constant  obligation 
to  do  them  good.  But  the  idea,  that  Mary  should  turn 
her  precious  ointment  into  money,  and  that  the  300 
pence  realized  thereby  should  be  given  to  the  poor, 
thus  contributing  towards  the  wiping  out  of  the  differ- 
ence between  the  rich  and  poor,  is  a  Judas-idea, 
not  approved  of  by  the  Lord,  however  practical,  useful 
and  taking  it  may  appear  even  to  the  disciples.  What- 
ever human  sin  and  selfishness  may  do  to  widen  the 
distance  between  rich  and  poor,  and  to  drive  them  into 
two  hostile  camps  threatening  destruction  to  the  whole 
fabric  of  society,  the  difference  (not  the  alienation,  the 
enmity,  the  cruel  indifference  and  bitter  hatred)  between 
rich  and  poor  is  of  divine  appointment,  and  no  Utopian 
plans  of  to-day  or  of  "  two  hundred  years  from  to-day  " 
will  ever  wipe  out  this  plain  statement  of  the  Lord : 
*'  The  poor  ye  have  always  with  you." 

•  The  other  point  is  this  :  that  over  against  the  principle 
of  barren  utilitarianism,  the  Lord  pleads  in  favor  of  Mary's 
wastefulness  :  "  She  has  done  a  beautiful  work  to  Me  " 
(on  Me).  Whatever  beautiful  and  precious  earthly  trea- 
sures the  tender  devotion  of  His  own  may  lay  at  Jesus' 
feet,  in  the  service  of  God's  house,  this  He  will  accept  and 
call  it  a  beautiful  work,  provided  that  it  be  a  work  done 
in  the  spirit  of  Mary,  proceeding  from  a  devout  and  truly 
believing  heart,  seeking  Christ  and  His  glory  alone  and 
not  the  honor  of  self  and  family. 

(B.)  Excitement  among  the  Common  People  and  Counsel  of 
the  Chief  Priests  to  put  Laaarus  to  Death  (xii.  9-1 1). 

9-1 1.     The   common  people  therefore  of   the  Jews  learned  that  he  was 


xii.  9-12..]  CHAPTER  XIT.  165 

there :  and  they  came,  not  for  Jesus'  sake  only,  but  that  they  might  see 
Lazarus  also,  whom  he  had  raised  from  the  dead.  Kut  the  chief  priests 
took  counsel  that  they  might  put  Lazarus  also  to  death ;  because  that  by 
reason  of  him  many  of  the  Jews  went  away,  and  beUeved  on  Jesus. 

At  the  news  of  the  presence  of  Christ  in  Bethany  many 
of  the  common  people  went  out  to  see  not  only  Him  but 
also  Lazarus,  whom  He  had  raised  from  the  dead.  And 
this  seeing  of  the  risen  Lazarus  resulted  in  leading  many 
to  faith  in  Christ.  For  this  reason  the  unscrupulous 
rulers  determined  that  Lazarus  also  should  die.  Nothing 
could  prove  more  strongly  the  significance  of  that  last 
and  greatest  miracle  of  the  Lord,  than  this  desperate 
scheme  of  putting  Lazarus  back  into  the  tomb  to  stop 
the  mouth  of  this  testimony  of  Him,  who  is  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  life. 


(C.)  Entrance  into  Jerusalem  (xii.  12-19). 

12-19.  ^^'^  ''^6  morrow  a  great  multitude  that  had  come  to  the  feast, 
when  they  heard  that  Jesus  was  coming  to  Jerusalem,  took  the  branches  of 
the  palm  trees,  and  went  forth  to  meet  him,  and  cried  out,  Hosanna: 
Blessed  is  he  that  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  even  the  King  of  Israel. 
And  Jesus,  having  found  a  young  ass,  sat  thereon  ;  as  it  is  written,  Fear 
not,  daughter  of  Zion  :  behold,  thy  King  cometh,  sitting  on  an  ass's  colt. 
These  things  understood  not  his  disciples  at  the  first :  but  when  Jesus  was 
glorified,  then  remembered  they  that  these  things  were  written  of  him,  and 
that  they  had  done  these  things  unto  him.  The  multitude  therefore  that 
was  with  him  when  he  called  Lazarus  out  of  the  tomb,  and  raised  him  from 
the  dead,  bare  witness.  For  this  cause  also  the  multitude  went  and  met 
him,  for  that  they  heard  that  he  had  done  this  sign.  The  Pharisees  there- 
fore said  among  themselves.  Behold  how  ye  prevail  nothing  :  lo,  the  world 
is  gone  after  him. 

If  the  supper  in  Bethany  was  held  on  the  Sabbath,  the 
following  day,  on  which  the  entrance  into  Jerusalem  took 
place,  was  the  first  day  of  the  week,  our  Sunday,  the  tra- 
ditional day   for   keeping  the  memory  of   this   glorious 


i66  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xii.  12-16. 

manifestation  of  Christ  as  the  Messiah,  Thus  far  every 
attempt  on  the  part  of  the  followers  of  Christ,  to  make 
a  public  demonstration  in  His  favor,  had  always  been 
promptly  frustrated  by  the  Lord.  But  now,  the  hour  of 
His  passion  and  death  having  arrived,  He  is  willing  to  be 
publicly  known  and  proclaimed  as  the  promised  Messiah, 
that  Cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  King  of  Israel. 
He  even  takes  Himself  an  active  part  in  the  arrangement 
of  this  procession  which  is  to  make  Him  known  as  the 
one  in  whom  all  the  prophecies  are  fulfilled.  No  one  in 
the  excitement  and  enthusiasm  of  that  hour  would  ever 
have  thought  of  the  young  ass  on  which  the  Messiah- 
King  was  to  ride  into  His  own  city.  But  He  thought 
of  it  and  "found  it, "as  John  briefly  but  comprehensively 
says:  He  found  it,  because  He  sent  for  it  ;  He  needed 
it  for  the  exact  fulfilment  of  the  passage  in  Zechariah 
(ix.  9).  Not  on  the  stately,  warlike  horse,  nor  on  the 
mule,  as  some  of  the  illustrious  kings  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment dispensation,  but  on  the  despised  ass  did  He  enter 
Jerusalem, — the  emblem  of  the  lowliness  and  humility  of 
this  King,  and  of  the  peaceful  character  of  His  kingdom, 
since  the  earliest  times  an  object  of  ridicule  and  sneering 
on  the  part  of  His  adversaries.  The  disciples  themselves 
do  not  seem  to  have  caught  the  exact  significance  of 
this  feature,  at  that  time.  They  were  still  dreaming  of 
glorious  thrones  in  the  Messianic  kingdom.  But  the 
multitude,  if  they  were  not  ready  to  read  Zechariah 
(ix.  9)  into  this  event,  still  had  sufficient  light  shed 
upon  it  by  their  jubilant  antiphones  taken  from  the  iiSth 
psalm,  which  was  commonly  acknowledged  and  accepted 
as  Messianic.  They  greet  Him  with  palm  branches  and 
with  their  devout  and  joyous  "  Hosannah,"  which  has 
been  fittingly  called  the  theocratic  "  God  save  the  king" 
(for  in  its  original  meaning  it  is    a    prayer:  Help  now. 


XII.  13-19]  CHAPTEK  XII.  167 

help  then,  O  Lord) — one  of  the  words  of  that  heavenly 
language,  which  have  found  their  way  to  all  nations, 
tongues  and  books,  equally  used  and  understood  by  all 
the  lovers  of  God's  kingdom  the  world  over,  expressing 
the  same  joy,  devotion,  adoration,  praise  and  trust  for 
all  (like  Allelujah,  Kyrie,  Immanuel,  Jehovah,  Amen), 

In  this  connection  also  the  fourth  Gospel  points  out  the 
influence  of  the  miracle  of  Bethany  on  the  multitude  in 
the  procession.  This  jubilee  was  a  testimony  on  the  part 
of  those  that  were  "  with  Him  when  He  called  Lazarus 
out  of  the  tomb  and  raised  him  from  the  dead  "  (17). 
And  the  same  cause  moved  the  multitude  which  "  went" 
out  from  Jerusalem  and  "  met  Him"  (ver.  18).  The  two 
streams  meeting  on  the  slope  of  Mount  Olivet  originally 
sprang  from  the  same  source — the  deep  impression  of  the 
raising  of  Lazarus  was  the  common  source.  Of  course 
there  were  other  "  mighty  works  which  they  had  seen," 
and  over  which  they  might  rejoice  and  praise  God  with  a 
loud  voice  at  the  descent  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  (Luke 
xix.  37).  But  foremost  of  all  was  that  last  miracle  ;  it 
was  in  every  body's  mouth.  They  "  met  Him,  for  that 
they  heard  that  He  had  done  this  sign." 

To  the  Pharisees  it  was  an  occasion  of  utterdisgust  and 
discouragement.  They  stand  aside,  but  in  sulking  isola- 
tion, like  the  elder  brother,  angry  at  the  sound  of  music 
and  dancing  on  the  return  of  the  prodigal.  Oh,  how  those 
Hosannas  grate  on  their  ears  !  It  is  all  in  vain  !  "  Ye 
prevail  nothing.  Lo  the  world  is  going  after  Him." 
Another  prophecy,  dictated  by  bitter  hatred  and  yet  true 
to  the  end  of  the  world.  Yea,  the  world  is  gone  after 
Him.  It  counts  its  very  years  as"  Annos  Domini."  This 
is  the  victory  that  hath  overcome  the  world,  even  our 
faith  (i  John  V.  4).  And  "in  the  name  of  Jesus  every 
knee  shall  bow,  of  things  in   heaven  and  things  on   earth 


l68  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xii.  19-21. 

and  things  under  the  earth,  and  every  tongue  shall  confess 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father  " 
(Phil.  ii.  10,  1 1). 

D.   Tlie  Greeks  Knocking  at  the  Door  of  the  Kingdom 
(xii.  20-36). 

I.    TJie  Historical  Fact  (xii.  20-22). 

20-22.  Now  there  were  certain  Greeks  among  those  that  went  up  to 
worship  at  the  feast  :  these  therefore  came  to  PhiHp,  which  was  of  Beth- 
saida  of  GaUlee,  and  asked  him,  saying,  Sir,  we  would  see  Jesus.  Philip 
Cometh  and  telleth  Andrew :  Andrew  cometh,  and  Philip,  and  they  tell 
Jesus. 

On  the  feast  of  Tabernacles  the  Jews  had  sneeringly 
asked  of  the  Lord  :  "  Will  He  go  among  the  Greeks  and 
teach  the  Greeks  ?"  (John  vii.  35).  Here  is  the  answer  in  a 
request  coming  from  the  Greeks.  It  is  at  the  same  time 
a  striking  illustration  how  that  unwilling  and  unconscious 
prophecy  of  the  Pharisees  : — "  All  the  world  gone  after 
Him" — is  already  beginning  to  be  fulfilled.  There  is 
something  wonderfully  striking  and  significant  at  this 
point  in  this  plain,  modest  petition  :  "  We  would  see 
Jesus."  The  men  who  uttered  it  were  Greeks,  not  Jews 
among  the  Gentiles  ("Hellenists"),  but  real  Gentiles 
themselves,  who  had  been  drawn,  in  tlie  deeper  yearning 
of  their  heart,  to  the  covenant  people  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, to  its  revelation,  its  sanctuary  and  services,  and  who 
came  from  year  to  year ,  or  at  longer  intervals  from  time 
to  time,  to  worship  in  Jerusalemin  the  court  of  the  Gen- 
tiles. "  We  would  see  Jesus."  The  one  great  theme 
which  was  on  the  lips  of  every  one  in  those  days  had  also 
taken  possession  of  their  hearts  ;  but  will  they  like  Him 
as  He  was  to  be  seen  before  the  end  of  that  week,  lifted 
up  on  the  cross,  with  the  words  written   in   Greek  over 


XII.  21,  22.]  CHAPTER  XII.  169 

His  head  :  "  Jesus  of  Nazareth  the  king  of  the  Jews"? 
Or  will  it  be  with  them  as  the  prophet  of  old  wrote: 
"When  we  shall  sec  Him  there  is  no  beauty  that  we 
should  desire  Him  "  ?    (Isaiah  liii.  2). 

Their  wish,  which  certainly  implied  a  personal  inter- 
view with  the  Lord,  was  first  modestly  communicated  to 
Philip.  With  his  characteristic  deliberateness,  bordering 
on  indecision,  he  does  not  reach  a  conclusion  for  himself. 
He  hesitates  to  bring  the  Lord  into  contact  with  these 
Gentiles  at  the  very  point,  when,  for  the  first  time.  His  own 
people  had  publicly  received  Him  as  the  Messianic  King 
of  Israel.  So  Philip  lays  the  question  before  Andrew, 
who  is  much  more  resolute  and  prompt  in  coming  to  a 
decision.  Thus  the  two  Apostles  with  Greek  names, 
Philip  and  Andrew,  lay  this  question  of  the  Greeks  before 
the  Lord.  It  is  difficult  to  say  at  what  exact  date  between 
the  Lord's  entrance  and  the  last  supper  this  took  place. 
It  is  the  only  incident  recorded  in  the  Fourth  Gospel  out 
of  the  many  important  dialogues  and  discourses  belonging 
to  this  period,  and  narrated  by  the  Synoptists.  From 
Monday  till  Wednesday  of  that  week  we  have  the  second 
purifying  of  the  temple,  the  cursing  of  the  figtree,  the 
disputes  with  Pharisees^  Sadducees  and  scribes,  probably 
the  case  of  the  adulterous  woman  (John  viii.  i),  the  great 
discourse  against  the  Pharisees  (Matt,  xxiii.)  and  the  pro- 
phecies of  the  Lord  concerning  the  last  things,  the  judg- 
ment over  Jerusalem  and  the  world.  The  interview  with 
the  Greeks  is  differently  placed,  from  the  day  of  the  Lord's 
entrance  down  to  Thursday  in  Passion  week,  which  was 
most  likely  spent  in  the  quiet  retreat  of  Bethany.  John 
does  not  tell  us  directly  whether  the  request  of  the  Greeks 
was  granted  by  the  Lord.  It  would  be  strange,  indeed,  if 
it  was  not.  But  of  much  greater  interest  to  the  Evan- 
gelist is  the  deep  and  manifold  significance  of  this  request 


lyo  TJ/E  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOI/jV.  [xii.  23, 24. 

of  the  Greeks,  and  this  is  set  forth  most  fully  in  the  follow- 
ing verses  (23-36). 


2.  Significance  of  this  Fact  (xii.  23-36.) 
{a.)  For  the  Lord  Himself  {xW.  23-30). 

23-30.  And  Jesus  answereth  them,  saying,  The  hour  is  come,  that  the 
Son  of  man  should  be  glorified.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you.  Except  a 
grain  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone ;  but  if 
it  die,  it  beareth  much  fruit.  He  that  loveth  his  life  loseth  it;  and  he  that 
hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life  eternal.  If  any  man  serve 
me,  let  him  follow  me  ;  and  where  I  am,  there  shall  also  my  servant  be  :  if 
any  man  serve  me,  him  will  the  Father  honour.  Now  is  my  soul  troubled  ; 
and  what  shall  I  say  ?  Father,  save  me  from  this  hour.  But  for  this  cause 
came  I  unto  this  hour.  Father,  glorify  thy  name.  There  came  therefore  a 
voice  out  of  heaven,  saying,  I  have  both  glorified  it,  and  will  glorify  it 
again.  The  multitude  therefore,  that  stood  by,  and  heard  it,  said  that  it 
had  thundered:  others  said,  An  angel  hath  spoken  to  him.  Jesus  answered 
and  said.  This  voice  hath  not  come  for  my  sake,  but  for  your  sakes. 

Jesus  answered  "  them,"  the  disciples  and  the  Greeks 
with  them.  The  Lord  sees  in  this  appeal  of  the  Greeks 
an  indication  that  the  hour  for  His  glorification,  which 
His  mother  and  His  brothers  have  long  been  so  anxious 
to  see  (John  ii.,  John  vii.)  has  at  last  arrived.  The  scripture 
is  being  fulfilled  which  said  :  "  I  shall  give  Thee  the 
heathen  for  Thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of 
the  earth  for  Thy  possession"  (Ps.  ii.  8).  The  Son  of 
Man,  rejected  by  the  Jews,  is  accepted  by  the  Gentiles, — 
this  is  the  first  stage  of  His  glorification.  But  the  very 
fact  of  His  rejection  by  the  Jews,  which  precedes  and  in- 
troduces His  acceptance  on  the  part  of  the  Gentiles,  in- 
volves His  passion  and  death.  "  Except  the  grain  of  wheat 
fall  into  the  earth  and  die,  it  abideth  by  itself  alone  ;  but 
if  it  die  it  beareth  much  fruit."  The  great  law  of  heaven, 
which    His  whole  life  has  upheld    and    realized,   is   the 


XII.  24-26.]  CHAPTER  XII.  171 

mystery  of  love,  giving  up  Himself  for  the  welfare  of 
others.  But  this  mystery  of  love  is  at  the  same  time  the 
mystery  of  life ;  it  is  the  law  of  nature  also  that  the 
sacrificing  of  the  grain,  its  burial  and  death  in  the  ground 
is  the  indispensable  condition  of  a  new  abundant  harvest. 
Here  then  we  have,  in  the  sphere  of  nature,  implanted  in 
it  by  the  Creator's  hand  and  by  the  Logos  through  whom 
all  things  were  made,  the  very  earliest  prophecy  and 
type  of  the  mystery  of  redemption  and  the  atoning  sacri- 
fice of  Christ.  The  Lord  metes  out  the  mysteries  of 
God's  redeeming  love  to  different  classes  of  men  in  dif- 
ferent forms  and  figures.  The  serpent  in  the  wilderness 
for  Nicodemus,  the  Old  Testament  scholar  and  teacher  ; 
but  the  grain  of  wheat  for  the  Greeks,  those  children  of 
nature,  who  had  no  knowledge  of  Moses  and  the  Pro- 
phets, but  who,  in  their  mysterious  services,  especially  the 
worship  of  Ceres  (Demeter)  in  Eleusis,  acknowledged 
"the  principle  of  a  new  life  after  death,  founded  on  the 
process  of  nature  by  which  seed  sown  in  the  ground  must 
first  die  and  rot  before  it  can  yield  new  life,  a  process 
which  the  annual  going  and  coming  of  Persephone,  the 
daughter  of  Demeter  was  designed  to  illustrate"  (Encycl. 
Brit.  "  Ceres,"  Vol.  V.  345).  But  this  principle  of  self- 
sacrificing  love,  as  identical  with  the  principle  of  new  life 
out  of  death,  is  announced  by  the  Lord  as  one  that  must 
be  applied  to  all  His  followers.  They  must  all  be  ready 
to  sacrifice  self,  for  he  that  loveth  his  life  loseth  it,  and  he 
that  hateth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep  it  unto  life 
eternal.  "  If  any  man  serve  Me,  let  him  follow  Me.  And 
where  I  am — in  the  humiliation  of  the  cross  and  the  glory 
of  resurrection — there  shall  also  My  servant  be."  These 
words  were  of  peculiar  emphasis  and  solemnity  in  this 
connection,  spoken  in  the  presence  of  the  Greeks,  whose 
fundamental    conception    of  this  world    and   human  life 


172  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xii.  26-29. 

in  it,  was  based,  not  on  the  principle  of  self-denial  and 
sacrifice,  but  on  that  of  self-indulgence  and  enjoy- 
ment. 

But  this  reference  to  His  sufferings  and  the  glory  here- 
after, fills  the  Lord  with  deepest  anguish  and  horror  at 
the  thought  of  what  is  before  Him,  the  "  hour  "  which 
now  has  come,  the  "  cup  "  which  He  must  take  and  drink. 
The  fourth  Gospel  passes  by  the  agony  in  the  garden,  but 
in  this  scene  it  gives  an  anticipation  of  its  woe  and  sor- 
rows, its  struggles  and  prayers.  "  Now  is  My  soul  trou- 
bled ;  and  what  shall  I  say :  Father,  save  Me  from  this 
hour?  (Thus  the  marginal  reading  of  the  Rev.  Version 
correctly  suggests.)  But  for  this  cause  came  I  unto  this 
hour.  Therefore,  My  only  prayer  shall  be :  '  FatJicr, 
glorify  Thy  nanie.'  What  are  My  trouble  and  sorrows,  if 
only  Thy  name  be  glorified  and  Thy  council  be  accom- 
plished." There  is  a  remarkable  and  close  parallelism 
between  the  conflict  and  its  solution,  here  and  in  Geth- 
semane.     "  Not  Mine,  but  Thy  will  be  done." 

For  the  third  time  in  the  life  of  the  Lord  there  is  a 
heavenly  "  Amen  "  of  recognition,  in  the  voice  of  the 
Father.  As  in  the  hour  of  His  baptism,  and  again  on  the 
mount  of  transfiguration,  so  here  the  Father  distinctly 
testifies  in  words  which  say  of  the  Son's  prayer :  "  Yea, 
yea,  so  shall  it  be."  The  prayer  was :  "  Father,  glorify 
Thy  name."  The  answer  is:  "I  have  both  glorified  it 
and  will  glorify  it  again."  The  reality  of  this  sign,  the 
voice  from  heaven,  is  not  in  the  least  affected  by  the  dif- 
ferent attitude  of  the  hearers  with  regard  to  it.  To  some 
it  was  nothing  but  a  sound  of  distant  thunder;  to  others 
it  seemed  like  angels'  voices;  to  the  Son,  and  no  doubt 
to  the  Evangelist  also,  who  was  there  as  a  witness,  the 
words  themselves  were  as  distinct  as  those  of  any  speaker 
uttered  before  human  ears.     There  were  different  grades 


XII.  29-32.]  CHAPTER  XII.  173 

of  ability  to  perceive  and  understand  it ;  but  the  sign  was 
acknowledged  by  all, — a  voice,  a  sound  from  heaven. 


(/^.)  For  the  World  {^\\.  31-33). 

31-33.  Now  is  the  judgement  of  this  world  :  now  shall  the  prince  of  this 
world  be  cast  out.  And  I,  if  I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all 
men  unto  myself.  But  this  he  said,  signifying  by  what  manner  of  death  he 
should  die. 

The  hour  of  the  glorification  of  the  Son  of  Man  means 
an  hour  of  "  crisis,"  of  judgment  for  the  world  :  "  Now  is 
the  judgment  of  this  world  :  now  shall  the  prince  of  this 
world  be  cast  out."  It  is  the  most  momentous  time  in 
the  history  of  the  human  race.  The  cross  on  Calvary 
marks  the  point  from  which  the  ways  of  individuals  and 
of  nations  separate.  There,  as  old  Simeon  had  said,  the 
thoughts  of  many  hearts  shall  be  revealed  (Luke  ii.  35). 
The  final  judgment  is  only  the  confirmation  and  publica- 
tion of  this  separation  and  judgment  which  divided  men 
all  along,  on  the  principle  of  believing  or  rejecting  the 
word  of  the  Cross. 

But,  apart  from  this  subjective  judgment  in  the  hearts 
of  men  there  is  also,  in  this  hour  of  the  glorification  of 
the  Son  of  Man,  an  objective  judgment  executed  against 
the  prince  of  this  world.  At  the  moment  of  Christ's  ele- 
vation on  the  cross,  he  is  dethroned,  cast  out.  His  power 
is  broken.  The  crucifixion  of  the  Son  of  God  was  the 
most  daring  piece  of  satanic  craft  and  power  ;  it  was,  in 
its  purport  and  intention,  deicide  itself.  And  yet  in  its 
final  effect  it  was  not  more  than  bruising  the  heel  of  the 
woman's  seed,  whilst  in  that  very  act  the  serpent's  Jiead 
was  crushed.  Satan  being  thus  dethroned,  the  Son  of 
Man  will  be  exalted  on  His  throne,  to  rule  and  draw  the 
hearts   of  men.     But   the  throne  with  which   His  reien 


174  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xii.  32-34. 

begins,  on  which  it  is  firmly  cstabHshed,  is  the  cross.  "If 
I  be  lifted  up  from  the  earth  I  will  draw  all  men  unto 
Myself."  There  is  a  wonderful  power  of  attraction  and 
of  separation  in  the  cross  of  Christ.  It  draws  all  men  to 
Him,  it  is  the  concentration  of  God's  world-redeeming 
love.  But  it  draws  men  to  a  crucified  Saviour.  It  sepa- 
rates forever  the  world,  with  all  that  it  holds  great  and 
noble  and  wise  and  good,  from  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 
The  cross  is  the  wall  between  the  world  and  the  Church, 
as  Paul  glories  in  "  the  cross  of  Christ  through  which  the 
world  hath  been  crucified  unto  me  and  I  unto  the  world  " 
(Gal.  vi.  14).  And  again  that  same  cross  of  Christ  breaks 
down  forever  the  partition  walls  of  ancient  creeds  and 
nationalities.  As  Jews  and  Gentiles  had  joined  hands  in 
executing  the  satanic  design  of  killing  Christ,  so  they  are 
to  join  hands  in  the  common  inheritance  of  all  the  bless- 
ings purchased  by  the  Prince  of  Life  with  His  own  pre- 
cious blood.  There  is  henceforth  "  no  distinction  between 
Jew  and  Greek  :  for  the  same  Lord  is  Lord  of  all,  and  is 
rich  unto  all  that  call  upon  Him"  (Rom.  x.  12).  Here, 
then,  in  this  blessed  assurance:  "  I  will  draw  all  men  to 
Myself,"  is  the  distinct  and  direct  answer  of  Christ  to  the 
application  of  the  Greeks  :  "  We  would  see  Jesus." 

(<f.)  For  Israel  (xii.  34-36). 

34-36.  The  multitude  therefore  answered  him,  We  have  heard  out  of 
the  law  that  the  Christ  abideth  forever;  and  how  sayest  thou,  The  Son  of 
man  must  be  lifted  up  ?  who  is  this  Son  of  man  .-'  Jesus  therefore  said  unto 
them,  Yet  a  little  while  is  the  light  among  you.  Walk  while  ye  have  the 
light,  that  darkness  overtake  you  not :  and  he  that  walketh  in  the  darkness 
knoweth  not  whither  he  goeth.  While  ye  have  the  light,  believe  on  the 
light,  that  ye  may  become  sons  of  light. 

These  things  spake  Jesus,  and  he  departed  and  hid  himself  from  them. 

The    multitude,    representing,    of    course,    the    Jewish 


xn.  34-36.]  CHAPTER  XII.  1 75 

hearers  of  the  Lord,  refer  to  a  certain  difficulty  in  their 
way  concerning  the  kingdom  of  the  Messiah,  They  have 
learned  to  consider  it,  as  they  think,  on  the  authority  of 
Scripture,  as  an  everlasting,  visible  kingdom  on  earth. 
How  does  this  accord  with  Christ  being  lifted  up  from 
the  earth,  literally  "  out  of  the  earth  ?  "  (Margin,  reading 
R.  v.).  Is  this  Son  of  Man  really  identical  with  the  Mes- 
siah ?     Who  is  this  Son  of  Man  ? 

Jesus  therefore  "said"  unto  them:  "Yet  a  little  while 
is  the  light  among  you,"  etc.  His  words  were  not  an 
answer  to  their  question.  That  answer  had  been  given 
time  and  again.  But  the  Lord  does  give  them  a  last  and 
solemn  warning.  The  sun  of  salvation  is  about  setting  in 
Israel.  The  night  will  soon  overtake  them.  Then  Israel 
will  grope  in  the  darkness,  knowing  not  whither  it  goeth, 
— the  wandering  Jew  forever  without  light,  peace  and 
home.  This  is  Christ's  parting  word  to  the  multitude  of 
Israel. 


(E.)  Final  Reviczv  of  tlic  Unbelief  of  tlic  J  civs  {;^\\.  37-43). 
I.    Tlieir   Unbelief  Prophesied  by  Isaiah  (xii.  37-41.) 

37-41.  But  though  he  had  done  so  many  signs  before  them,  yet  they  be- 
lieved not  on  him  :  that  the  word  of  Isaiah  the  prophet  might  be  fulfilled, 
which  he  spake, 

Lord,  who  hath  believed  our  report  ? 

And  to  whom  hath  the  arm  of  the  Lord  been  revealed  ? 
For  this  cause  they  could  not  believe,  for  that  Isaiah  said  again, 

He  hath  Ijlinded  their  eyes,  and  he  hardened  their  heart ; 

Lest  they  should  see  with  their  eyes,  and  perceive  with  their  heart, 

And  should  turn, 

And  I  should  heal  them. 
These  things  said  Isaiah,  because  he  saw  his  glory ;  and  he  spake  of  him. 

What  the  Gospel  of  John  had  indicated  in  the  Prologue 


176  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x  11.  37-41. 

already,  that  though  "  He  came  unto  His  own,  His  own 
received  Him  not,"  is  now  once  more  at  the  end  of  the 
whole  narrative  stated  as  a  historical  fact,  and  both  the 
guilt  and  the  responsibility  of  the  people  and  the  judg- 
ment of  God  in  this  fact  are  shown  forth.  The  point  has 
been  reached,  when  the  Lord  has  finished  His  whole  tes- 
timony to  His  people.  He  now  departs  and  hides  Him- 
self from  them.  The  time  of  the  manifestation  of  His 
glory  in  His  words  and  His  many  signs  (only  six  of  which 
John  had  narrated)  is  passed  ;  and  passed  without  bring- 
ing the  people  as  a  people  to  belief  on  Christ.  The 
Gospel  of  John  here  deals  with  the  same  difficult  and 
momentous  theme  to  which  Paul  devoted  those  three 
chapters  (ix.-xi.)  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  the  unbelief 
of  Israel.  And  here,  as  in  other  passages  of  the  New 
Testament,  where  this  attitude  of  God's  chosen  people  is 
referred  to,  the  fundamental  prophecy  of  Isaiah  is  intro- 
duced, which  presents  the  unbelief  of  Israel  in  the  light 
of  divine  judgment  (Matt.  xiii.  14,  Acts  xxviii.  26, 27).  The 
respective  import  of  these  two  distinct  quotations  from 
Isaiah  must  be  well  marked.  The  first,  from  Isa.  liii.  i, 
states  the  unbelief  of  Israel  as  the  responsible  act  and 
guilt  of  the  people  themselves.  To  the  wise  and  great  in 
this  world  there  was  "  no  form  nor  comeliness  "  in  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  Messiah,  "  no  beauty  that  they  should 
desire  Him."  For  this  reason  they  were  not  willing  to 
believe  on  Him  and  to  receive  Him.  But  there  is  another 
aspect  yet  to  this  unbelief,  as  set  forth  in  the  second 
passage  from  Isaiah  vi.  They  could  not  and  should  not 
believe  on  Him.  There  was  a  divine  judgment  in  this. 
Having  hardened  their  hearts  and  closed  their  eyes 
against  God's  gracious  revelation  in  Christ,  their  eyes  are 
blinded  and  their  hearts  are  hardened  by  God's  own 
righteous  act  of  punishment. 


XII.  42,  43J  CHAPTER  XII.  177 

2.   Cozvardly  Fear  of  the  Pharisees  (xii.  42,  43). 

42-43.  Nevertheless  even  of  the  rulers  many  believed  on  him  ;  but  be- 
cause of  the  Pharisees  they  did  not  confess  it,  lest  they  should  be  put  out 
of  the  synagogue :  for  they  loved  the  glory  of  men  more  than  the  glory  of 
God. 

That  this  judgment  of  God  upon  Israel  as  a  whole  did 
not  exclude  individuals  from  coming  to  Jesus,  appears 
from  the  following  verses.  "  Nevertheless  even  of  the 
rulers  many  believed  on  Him."  The  way  was  open,  if 
they  only  had  been  strong  and  courageous  enough  to 
come  out  boldly  for  the  Lord,  as  Joseph  and  Nicodemus 
did  when  their  time  came.  But  the  conflict  wath  the 
Pharisees  was  too  much  for  them.  After  all  they  loved 
the  glory  of  men  more  than  the  glory  of  God.  And  this 
was  the  very  sin  of  the  Pharisees  and  the  principal 
obstacle  of  faith,  as  the  Lord  had  said  of  them  long  before 
this,  "  How  can  ye  believe  which  receive  glory  one  of  an- 
other, and  the  glory  that  cometh  from  the  only  God  ye 
seek  not?"  (John  v.  44). 

(F.)  Summing  up  of  the  Lord's  Testimony  (xii.  44-50). 

44-50.  And  Jesus  cried  and  said,  He  that  beheveth  on  me,  believeth  not 
on  me,  but  on  him  that  sent  me.  And  he  that  beholdeth  me  beholdeth  him 
that  sent  me.  I  am  come  a  light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth 
on  me  may  not  abide  in  the  darkness.  And  if  any  man  hear  my  sayings, 
and  keep  them  not,  I  judge  him  not :  for  I  came  not  to  judge  the  world, 
but  to  save  the  world.  He  that  rejecteth  me,  and  receiveth  not  my  say- 
ings, hath  one  that  judgeth  him:  the  word  that  I  spake,  the  same  shall 
judge  him  in  the  last  day.  For  I  spake  not  from  myself;  but  the  Father 
which  sent  me,  he  hath  given  me  a  commandment,  what  I  should  say,  and 
what  I  should  speak.  And  I  know  that  his  commandment  is  life  eternal : 
the  things  therefore  which  I  speak,  even  as  the  Father  hath  said  unto  me, 
so  I  speak. 

I  f  we  have  followed  attentively  the  narrative  of  the  fourth 
12 


lyS  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xii.  44-50. 

Gospel  to  this  point,  if  we  remember  the  positive  state- 
ment verse  36  that  after  that  last  discourse,  occasioned 
by  the  appearance  of  the  Greeks,  Jesus  departed  and  hid 
Himself  from  them,  the  question  naturally  suggests  itself 
at  the  opening  of  the  44th  verse  :  When  and  where,  under 
what  circumstances  did  Jesus  deliver  .this  last  discourse, 
if  such  it  be,  contained  in  verses  44-50?  We  fail  to  find 
any  special  occasion  for  it,  such  as  the  fourth  Gospel 
clearly  states  in  the  introduction  of  every  other  discourse 
of  the  Lord.  After  the  climax  of  the  Lord's  testimony 
to  the  Jews,  verses  35  and  36,  there  is  no  room  in  the  his- 
torical order  of  events,  recorded  in  the  fourth  Gospel,  for 
this  section,  verses  44-50,  as  a  historical  discourse  of  Christ, 
delivered  then  and  there  during  those  last  days  before 
His  passion  and  death.  We  therefore  believe  that  in 
these  verses  the  Evangelist  presents  a  brief  summary  of 
the  principal  points  of  the  testimony  of  Christ  ;  every 
word  of  it  spoken  by  the  Lord  before  or  after  this,  but  at 
this  point  arranged  by  John  himself  as  a  final  offset  to 
the  unbelief  of  the  Jews.  The  Evangelist  cannot  part 
from  that  picture  of  Israel's  hopeless  unbelief  without 
pointing  out  once  more,  in  a  sort  of  epilogue,  how 
clearly,  solemnly  and  fully  Christ  had  testified  before  their 
ears,  and  offered  them  all  the  light  and  help  they  needed 
to  come  out  of  their  unbelief  and  to  embrace  Jesus  as  the 
Saviour  of  the  world.  The  absolute  dignity  and  author- 
ity of  Christ's  person  and  work  is  briefly  and  pointedly 
summed  up  in  this  section  :  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  sent 
by  the  Father,  to  save  the  world.  His  word  the  absolute 
divine  message  to  the  world.  Whosoever  rejects  it,  will 
be  judged  by  that  same  word  on  the  last  day. 


THIRD  PART— CHAPTERS   XUI.— XXI. 

THE  TRIUMPH  OF  FAITH.-THE  INCARNATE  WORD 
GLORIFIED  AMONG  HIS  OWN. 


CHAPTER  XIIL      • 

I.  Historical  Introduction  to  the  Parting 
Discourses  of  the  Lord  (xiii.  1-30). 

I.  Jesus  Washing  the  Disciples'  Feet  (xiii.  1-17). 

1-17.  Now  before  the  feast  of  the  passover,  Jesus  knowing  that  his 
hour  was  come  that  he  should  depart  out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father, 
having  loved  his  own  which  were  in  the  world,  he  loved  them  unto  the  end. 
And  during  supper,  the  devil  having  already  put  into  the  heart  of  Judas 
Iscariot,  Simon's  son,  to  betray  him,  ytww,  knowing  that  the  Father  had 
given  all  things  into  his  hands,  and  that  he  came  forth  from  God,  and 
goeth  unto  God,  riseth  from  supper,  and  layeth  aside  his  garments  ;  aitd  he 
took  a  towel,  and  girded  himself._  Then  he  poureth  water  into  the  bason 
and  began  to  wash  the  disciples'  feet,  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel 
wherewith  he  was  girded.  So  he  cometh  to  Simon  Peter.  He  saith  unto 
him.  Lord,  dost  thou  wash  my  feet  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him. 
What  I  do  thou  knowest  not  now;  but  thou  shalt  understand  hereafter. 
Peter  saith  unto  him.  Thou  shalt  never  wash  my  feet.  Jesus  answered 
him,  If  I  wash  thee  not,  thou  hast  no  part  with  me.  Simon  Peter  saith 
unto  him,  Lord,  not  my  feet  only,  but  also  my  hands  and  my  head.  Jesus 
saith  unto  him,  He  that  is  bathed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but 
is  clean  every  whit:  and  ye  are  clean,  but  not  all.  For  he  knew  him  that 
should  betray  him  ;  therefore  said  he.  Ye  are  not  all  clean. 

So  when  he  had  washed  their  feet,  and  taken  his  garments,  and  sat  down 
again,  he  said  unto  them,  Know  ye  what  I  have  done  to  you.'  Ye  call  me 
Master^and  Lord  :  and  ye  say  well ;  for  so  I  am.  If  I  then,  the  I-ord  and 
the  Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash  one  another's 
feet.     For  I  have  given  you  an  example,  that  ye  also  should  do  as  I  have 


i8o  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [xiii.  1-3. 

done  to  you.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  A  servant  is  not  greater  than 
his  lord ;  neither  one  that  is  sent  greater  than  he  that  sent  him.  If  ye 
know  these  things,  blessed  are  ye  if  ye  do  them. 

With  the  thirteenth  chapter  we  reach  the  third  and 
last  section  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  setting  forth  the 
triumph  of  faith  ;  the  incarnate  Word  glorified  among 
His  own.  The  first  half  of  this  section  (chapters  xiii.  to 
xvii.)  stands  in  striking  contrast  to  the  preceding  middle 
section  of  this  Gospel.  There  we  saw  the  fierce  conflict 
between  the  Lord  and  His  adversaries  growing  hotter  and 
hotter  until  it  reached  its  climax  in  the  determination  to 
kill  both  Him  and  Lazarus.  Here  we  leave  this  battle- 
field and  enter  into  that  quiet,  peaceful  sanctuary  in 
which  the  Lord  is  closeted  with  His  disciples  for  the  last 
parting  hours.  Being  delivered  from  that  one  antagon- 
istic element,  which  had  still  been  defiling  that  sanctuary, 
Judas  Iscariot,  they  are  at  last  alone  among  themselves 
in  full  harmony.  And  now  the  deepest  lessons  are  taught 
to  the  disciples.  They  are  introduced  into  the  pro- 
foundest  mysteries  of  the  Holy  Trinity.  Their  knowl- 
edge, faith  and  love  expand  and  are  strengthened  as 
never  before.  Now  they  "  believe  that  He  came  forth 
from  God  "  (xvi.  30). 

The  fourth  Gospel,  whilst  it  refrains  from  recording  for 
a  fourth  time  the  history  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  supplements  the  Synoptical  account  at  this 
point  with  that  most  significant  and  valuable  narrative 
of  the  washing  of  the  disciples'  feet. 

John  in  introducing  this  history  by  a  sort  of  prologue 
presents  the  heavenly  aspect  of  the  case.  It  was  now 
that  Easter  on  which  Christ  was  to  be  given  as  the  true 
Paschal  Lamb.  The  hour  was  come  that  He  should  de- 
part out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father.  Fully  conscious 
of  this,  and  knowing  that  the  Father  had  given  all  things 


XIII.  3-5-]  CHAPTER  XIII.  i8i 

into  His  hands  and  that  He  came  forth  from  God  and 
goeth  unto  God — He  riseth  from  supper  and  layeth  aside 
His  garments  ;  and  He  took  a  towel  and  girded  Himself  ; 
then  He  poureth  water  into  the  bason  and  began  to  wash 
the  disciples'  feet  and  to  wipe  them  with  the  towel 
wherewith  He  was  girded.  In  full  sight  of  His  divine 
majesty  and  glory  this  deepest  humiliation  of  minister- 
ing to  His  disciples  as  a  servant !  This  is  the  divine,  the 
heavenly  aspect  of  this  act.  But  there  is  still  another 
side  to  it,  a  lower  earthly  aspect,  which  must  be  con- 
sidered in  order  to  realize  fully  the  character  of  that 
scene.  The  Gospel  of  St.  Luke  (ch.  xxii.)  furnishes  us 
the  most  important  features  in  this  respect.  The  Lord 
had  taken  special  care,  as  the  house-father  of  His  family 
of  twelve,  to  have  that  supper  properly  prepared.  Peter 
and  John  had  been  directed  by  Him  to  make  all  the 
arrangements  in  detail.  And  when  the  hour  was  come. 
He  sat  down  and  the  apostles  with  Him.  And  He  said 
unto  them  :  "  With  desire  I  have  desired  to  eat  this 
passover  with  you  before  I  suffer."  But  over  against  this 
heavenly  frame  of  mind,  in  which  the  Lord  sat  down, 
what  a  different  spirit  in  the  hearts  of  those  men  who  met 
with  Him  at  that  table  !  Here  was  one  of  the  twelve 
who  had  made  up  his  mind  by  this  time,  to  reward  the 
Lord  for  all  the  love  received  from  Him  during  the  past 
three  years,  by  betraying  Him.  Here  were  eleven  of  the 
twelve  who  after  their  three  years'  intimate  communion 
with  their  Master,  the  most  meek  and  lowly  in  heart,  at 
this  very  time  entered  upon  those  solemn  evening  hours 
with  "a  contention  among  them,  which  of  them  is 
accounted  to  be  greatest."  If  we  follow  Luke  in  his  22d 
chapter  down  to  the  end  of  the  27th  verse,  we  at  once 
recognize  the  connection  between  that  contention  and  the 
Lord's  acting  "  in  the  midst  of  them  as  he  that  serveth," 


l82  THE  GOSPEL  OE  SJ'.  JO  JEW  [xm.  i,  5. 

that  is,  by  washing  their  feet.  Upon  I'eler  and  John,  to 
whom  all  the  arrangements  for  the  supper  had  been 
committed,  the  duty  devolved,  to  see  also  to  the  washing 
of  the  feet  of  the  company  ;  and,  if  there  was  no  servant 
present,  to  attend  to  it  themselves,  or  secure  the  service 
of  one  of  the  apostles  for  this  work.  But  here  the  con- 
tention arose.  No  one  was  ready  to  stoop  down  to  this 
menial  service.  And  thus  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the 
Father,  the  Lord  and  King  of  heaven  and  earth,  Himself 
rises  from  His  couch,  and  being  "  the  chief  becomes  as  he 
that  doth  serve."  This  He  does  in  the  first  place,  as  He 
distinctly  states,  as  an  example  :  "  If  I,  the  Lord  and 
Master,  have  washed  your  feet,  ye  also  ought  to  wash 
one  another's  feet.  For  I  have  given  you  an  example, 
that  ye  also  should  do  as  I  have  done  to  you."  It  was 
Christ's  love  to  His  own,  a  love  without  limit,  loving  "  to 
the  uttermost  "  {zl'i  to  riku?,  ver.  i)  which  He  had  demon- 
strated in  this  act  and  the  example  of  this  love  He  means 
to  impress  upon  their  hearts.  It  is,  in  the  most  graphic 
and  telling  form,  that  new  commandment :  "  That  ye 
love  one  another,  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also 
love  one  another"  (ver.  34,35).  This  love  must  be 
ready  and  willing  to  minister  to  the  need  of  the  brother 
in  outward  acts  of  service,  not  shrinking  even  from  the 
meanest,  most  uncommon  and  repulsive,  wherever  the 
necessity  arises.  But,  as  the  Lord  Himself,  as  we  will 
presently  see,  gave  to  the  outward,  bodily  washing  a 
deeper  spiritual  significance,  so  the  application  of  this 
example  must  also  be  in  the  sphere  of  that  spiritual 
washing  and  cleansing,  which  Paul  describes  in  Gal.  vi.  i, 
2.  "  Brethren  if  a  man  be  overtaken  in  any  trespass,  ye 
which  are  spiritual,  restore  such  a  one  in  a  spirit  of  meek- 
ness ; — bear  ye  one  another's  burdens  and  so  fulfil  the 
law  of  Christ."     Such  service  can  be  efTectively  done  only 


xin.  r>-r7.]  CHAPTER  Xf/f.  i3^ 

in  that  spirit  of  true  humility,  which  acts  on  the  principle 
"  if  any  man  would  be  first,  he  shall  be  last  of  all  L.nd 
minister  of  all  "  (Mark  ix.  35). 

But  this  washing  of  the  feet  is  also  a  type  of  Christ's 
work  of  redemption.  This  deeper  spiritual  meaning  of 
the  foot-washing  comes  out  fully  in  the  dialogue  between 
the  Lord  and  Peter,  resulting  from  his  refusal  to  have 
his  feet  washed  by  his  Master.  The  one  principal  aim 
of  the  whole  work  of  Christ  in  all  His  words  and  deeds 
was,  not  to  establish  a  glorious  kingdom  before  the  eyes  of 
men,  or  to  proclaim  profound  philosophical  truths  before 
the  ears  of  men,  but  to  absolve  and  cleanse  the  hearts  of 
men  from  sin  and  guilt,  and  this  work  of  absolution  and 
cleansing  He  can  only  accomplish  by  His  own  deepest  self- 
humiliation  ;  even  as  the  Son  of  Man  came  not  to  be  min- 
istered unto,  but  to  minister  and  to  give  His  life  a  ransom 
for  many.  The  blood  of  Jesus  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin. 
This  is  the  meaning  of  that  most  comprehensive  and 
solemn  word  to  Peter:  "  If  I  wash  thee  not  thou  hast 
no  part  with  Me."  Not  what  men  may  do  in  their  admira- 
tion and  enthusiasm  for  Christ,  gives  them  a  position  in  the 
kingdom  of  God;  but  that  one  great  experience:  "I 
am  washed  and  cleansed  by  Jesus."  Without  it  I  cannot 
have  part  with  Him,  and  having  once  obtained  pardon 
through  Him,  I  must  still  be  washed  by  Him  from  day 
to  day,  not  forgetting  the  cleansing  from  daily  sins. 

2.  Judas  Iscariot  Forced  to   Withdravj  (xiii.  18-30). 

18-30.  I  speak  not  of  you  all :  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen  :  but  that 
the  scripture  may  be  fulfilled.  He  that  eateth  my  bread  lifted  up  his  heel 
against  me.  From  henceforth  I  tell  you  before  it  come  to  pass,  that,  when 
it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  beheve  that  I  am  he.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  He  that  receiveth  whomsoever  I  send  receiveth  me ;  and  he  that  rc- 
ceiveth  me  receiveth  him  that  sent  me. 


1 84  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x 1 1 1 .  13- 26. 

When  Jesus  had  thus  said,  he  was  troubled  in  the  spirit,  and  testified, 
and  said,  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  one  of  you  shall  betray  me. 
The  disciples  looked  one  on  another,  doubting  of  whom  he  spake.  There 
was  at  the  table  reclining  on  Jesus'  bosom  one  of  his  disciples,  whom  Jesus 
loved.  Simon  Peter  therefore  beckoneth  to  him,  and  saith  unto  him.  Tell 
us  who  it  is  of  whom  he  speaketh.  He  leaning  back,  as  he  was,  on  Jesus' 
breast  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  who  is  it  ?  Jesus  therefore  answereth.  He  it  is, 
for  whom  I  shall  dip  the  sop,  and  give  it  him.  So  when  he  had  dipped 
the  sop,  he  taketh  and  giveth  it  to  Judas,  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot.  And 
after  the  sop,  then  entered  Satan  into  him.  Jesus  therefore  saith  unto  him, 
That  thou  doest,  do  quickly.  Now  no  man  at  the  table  knew  for  what  in- 
tent he  spake  this  unto  him.  For  some  thought,  because  Judas  had  the 
bag,  that  Jesus  said  unto  him,  Buy  what  things  we  have  need  of  for  the 
feast ;  or,  that  he  should  give  something  to  the  poor.  He  then  having 
received  the  sop  went  out  straightway  :  and  it  was  night. 

From  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  the  Evangehst  has 
repeatedly  directed  our  attention  to  the  fact,  that  the 
betrayer  is  still  present  with  the  twelve  ;  that  there  is  no 
peace  and  comfort  among  them  so  long  as  this  thorn  is 
felt  in  the  flesh  ;  and  that  the  crisis  has  now  come  ;  it  is 
time  to  have  it  extracted  and  the  body  freed  from  its  dis- 
turbing influence.  In  the  introduction  already  (ver.  2) 
the  Evangelist  refers  to  the  fact  that  "  the  devil  put  it 
into  the  heart  of  Judas  Iscariot  to  betray  Him."  In  the 
tenth  verse  there  is  the  second  reference  to  him  in  the 
words  of  the  Lord  :  "  Ye  are  clean  but  not  all,  for  He 
knew  him  that  should  betray  Him."  Again  in  the  i8th: 
"  I  speak  not  of  you  all  :  I  know  whom  I  have  chosen  :  but 
that  the  Scripture  may  be  fulfilled  :  He  that  eateth  My 
bread,  lifted  up  his  heel  against  Me."  Then  in  the  21st 
the  direct  announcement  by  the  Lord  :  "  One  of  you 
shall  betray  Me."  And  at  last  the  final  marking  of  the 
traitor  :  *'  He  it  is  for  whom  I  shall  dip  the  sop  and  give 
it  him.  So  when  He  had  dipped  the  sop  He  taketh  and 
giveth  it  to  Judas,  the  son  of  Simon  Iscariot.  And  after 
the  sop  then  entered  Satan  into  him," — an  evident  climax 


XIII.  27-]  CHAPTER  XIII,  185 

as  compared  to  the  statement  in  the  second  verse.  "  He 
then  having  received  the  sop  went  out  straightway  :  and 
it  was  night." 

It  is  the  Satanic  character  of  the  sin  of  Judas,  which 
is  most  strongly  emphasized  in  the  fourth  Gospel.  But 
this  does  not  forbid  an  attempt  on  our  part  to  compre- 
hend in  some  measure  the  psychological  development  of 
that  son  of  perdition.  We  think  it  most  probable  that 
Judas,  besides  his  mean  love  of  money,  was  burning  with 
a  desire  to  see  the  establishment  of  a  glorious  Messianic 
kingdom  which  would  force  itself  upon  the  people  by  the 
display  of  signs  and  wonders.  Even  now,  in  betraying 
the  Lord,  Judas  may  have  indulged  in  the  hope  that  he 
would  thereby  compel  Christ  to  overwhelm  His  adver- 
saries by  a  miraculous  manifestation  of  His  power  and 
glory.  We  remember  the  scene  on  the  pinnacle  of  the 
temple,  at  the  temptation  of  Christ,  when  Satan  said  to 
Him  :  "  If  Thou  art  the  Son  of  God,  cast  Thyself  down." 
But  Judas,  by  his  betrayal,  pushes  the  Lord  off  from  the 
pinnacle,  expecting  to  see  Him  spread  the  pinions  of  His 
miraculous  power,  and  save  Himself  from  the  catastrophe 
of  an  ignominious  fall.  He  did  not  believe  that  the 
Lord  was  seriously  ready  and  willing  to  die.  Had  He 
not  thus  far  carefully  avoided,  and  successfully  escaped 
from  all  the  attempts  on  His  life  made  by  His  persecu- 
tors? Judas  felt  sure  that  He  would  be  fully  able  to  cope 
with  all  the  power  and  cunning  of  His  adversaries,  and 
therefore  he  did  not  see  much  danger  in  delivering  Him 
into  their  hands.  They  would  be  double  losers  in  the 
end.  Their  money  safe  in  Judas'  bag  ;  their  prisoner 
safe  out  of  their  hands.  Thus  nothing  would  be  lost 
ultimately  to  Christ  or  to  himself.  But  if  these  were  his 
calculations,  he  soon  enough  found  himself  undeceived. 
As  he  pushed  off  the  Lord  by  his  betrayal,  to  his  utmost 


i86  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiii.  27-32. 

horror  and  dismay  he  saw  Him  sink  and  sink  ;  submit  to 
the  power  of  His  enemies  in  absolute  self-surrender. 
Despair  seized  him.  Everything  lost  in  this  bold,  unscru- 
pulous game.  So  he  brought  back  the  thirty  pieces  of 
silver,  the  price  of  blood,  to  the  chief  priests  and  elders 
and  went  away  and  hanged  himself. 

II.  First  Parting  Words  Addressed  to  the 
Eleven  (xiii.  31 — xiv.  4). 

I.   TJie  Son  of  Man  Glorified  (xiii.  31-32). 

31-32.  When  therefore  he  was  gone  out,  Jesus  saith,  Now  is  the  Son 
of  man  glorified,  and  God  is  glorified  in  him  ;  and  God  shall  glorify  him  in 
himself,  and  straightway  shall  he  glorify  him. 

Being  freed  from  the  presence  of  the  traitor,  though 
the  departure  of  Judas  Iscariot  means  the  hour  of  passion 
and  death  for  Himself,  the  Lord  enjoys  a  foretaste  of  the 
glory  in  store  for  Him.  He  actually  enters  upon  the  road 
to  His  immediate  glorification.  "  Now  is  the  Son  of 
Man  glorified," — this  is  the  grand  and  glorious  begin- 
ning of  the  parting  discourses  of  that  evening;  a  shout 
of  victory  at  the  very  opening  of  the  battle,  in  the  night 
in  which  He  was  betrayed.  Not  less  than  five  ^  times  in 
these  two  short  verses  the  word  "  glorify  "  is  used.  The 
Son  of  Man  is  glorified, — in  looking  back  over  His  past 
life  He  can  boldly  claim  that  His  whole  life-work  was 
nothing  but  glorifying  the  Father,  and  thereby  He  Him- 
self is  glorified.  The  Son  of  Man  is  glorified  in  that 
present  hour  as  He  now  willingly  takes  up  the  cross  to 
seal  and  to  crown  His  life-work  by  His  obedience  unto 
death.  The  Son  will  be  glorified,  and  that  without 
delay,  by  His  exaltation  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Father. 

1  Four  times  in  the  reading  accepted  in  the  Revised  Version. 


XIII.  33'  34]  CHAPTER  XIIT.  187 

2.    The  Imminent  Depa?'ture  (xiii.  33). 

33.  Little  children,  yet  a  little  while  I  am  with  you.  Ye  shall  seek  me  : 
and  as  I  said  unto  the  Jews,  Whither  I  go,  ye  cannot  come  ;  so  now  I  say 
unto  you. 

The  Lord  addresses  His  disciples  in  the  most  affection- 
ate manner  as  dear  little  children.  The  great  human 
heart  of  the  true  man  Jesus  feels  most  tenderly  the  im- 
pending separation.  He  cannot  spare  them  the  same 
hard  truth,  which  He  had  before  announced  to  the  Jews. 
He  goes  and  they  cannot  come,  whither  He  is  going. 
They  will  miss  Him.  And  they  will  seek  Him,  but,  dif- 
ferent from  the  Jews,  they  will  find  Him  again.  They 
will  not,  as  it  was  said  to  the  Jews,  die  in  their  sins. 
They  will  live  through  Him  and  in  Him  and  with  Him 
in  glory,  though  for  the  present  they  cannot  possibly  go 
with  Him,  The  passion  and  the  death  of  atonement  are 
exclusively  His  own.  No  one  can  share  with  Him  the 
agony  of  these  hours  ;  but  they  shall  share  with  Him  the 
glory  in  His  Father's  mansions  (xiv.  3). 

3.    The  Nezu  Commandment  (xiii.  34-35). 

34-35.  A  new  commandment  I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one 
another;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love  one  another.  By 
this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye  are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to 
another. 

In  their  sorrow  over  the  Lord's, departure,  the  disciples 
are  to  find  comfort  in  fulfilling  this  new  commandment 
of  loving  one  another  even  as  He  had  loved  them.  The 
question  naturally  presents  itself  :  What  is  the  new  fea- 
ture in  this  love,  with  which  the  disciples'  are  charged  ? 
For,  certainly,  the  love  of  God  and  of  our  fellow-men  was 
as  old  as  the  Old  Testament  law  itself.  Nor  can  the  new- 
ness of  this  commandment  of  love  be  found  in  a  concen- 


1 88  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [x in.  34-36. 

tration  upon  the  narrow  circle  of  believers,  the  "  Philadel- 
phia," or  brotherly  love,  of  which  we  read  a  good  deal  in 
the  Epistles.  The  characteristic  feature  of  this  new  com- 
mandment of  love  must  be  found  in  the  words  :  "  even  as  I 
have  loved  you."  The  Christlike  love  is  the  original  and 
new  feature  in  this  "  new  commandment  "  of  the  New 
Testament.  It  is  love  learned  from  the  example  of  Christ  ; 
love  inspired  by  His  redeeming  love  ;  love  begotten  of  the 
wondrous  love  of  the  Saviour,  for  this  end  has  He  "  loved 
His  own  to  the  uttermost  end"  (xiii.  3)  that  they  might 
love  one  another.  Christ's  love,  apprehended  by  faith,  is 
the  quickening  power  of  the  love  of  His  disciples.  Men 
cannot  honestly  exalt  love,  and  Christianity  as  "  the  relig- 
ion of  love,"  and  yet  at  the  same  time  cast  out  faith,  the 
only  hand  that  grasps  the  love  of  the  God-man. 

4.  Peter  s  Interruption  Answered  by  the  Lord  {xin.  36-38). 

36-38.  Simon  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  whither  goest  thou  ?  Jesus 
answered,  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not  follow  me  now ;  but  thou  shalt 
follow  afterwards.  Peter  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  thee 
even  now  ?  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  thee.  Jesus  answereth.  Wilt  thou 
lay  down  thy  life  for  me  .''  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee.  The  cock  shall 
not  crow,  till  thou  hast  denied  me  thrice. 

This  conversation  with  Peter,  or  one  very  similar  to  it, 
is  recorded  by  Matthew  and  Mark  at  a  later  period  of  the 
passion  history,  on  the  way  to  the  Garden.  But  the  ac- 
count of  Luke  (xxii.  33,  34)  seems  to  support  John.  And 
why  should  it  be  impossible  that  similar  words  were 
spoken  more  than  once  on  that  memorable  evening,  when 
Peter's  heart  was  full  to  overflowing  with  devotion  to  his 
Lord  and  anxiety  about  His  departure?  It  seems  to  us, 
the  question  of  Peter  at  this  point  is  so  directly  con- 
nected with  the  immediately  preceding  statement  of  the 
Lord  :  "  Whither  I  go  ye  cannot  come,"  that  it  cannot  be 


xiil.  36.]  CHAPTER  XIII.  189 

detached   from  it  without  doing  violence  to  the  whole 
context. 

Peter  is  the  same  as  we  found  him  at  the  washing  of  the 
feet,  rash,  forward,  full  of  self-reliance,  enthusiastically 
devoted  to  his  Lord,  but  lamentably  misjudging  his  own 
strength.  The  Lord  in  the  first  place  does  not  directly 
answer  Peter's  question.  He  simply  reaffirms  His  former 
statement  :  "  Whither  I  go  thou  canst  not  follow."  But  He 
qualifies  it  by  the  addition  of  the  "  now  "  and  the  further 
explanation:  "  thou  shalt  follow  afterwards."  His  time  will 
come;  it  has  not  yet  arrived;^  but  it  is  sure  to  come, 
when  Peter  once  begins  to  deny  himself,  to  give  his  old 
Adam  into  death  ;  as  a  mature  Christian  he  will  even  be 
honored  with  a  martyr's  death  (as  prophesied  also  John 
xxi.  18,  19). 

^  Quid  festifias,  Petre?  nofidum  te  Suo  Spiritu  soliaavit  Petra.  (Why 
in  such  a  hurry,  Peter  ?  the  Rock  {Petra)  has  not  yet  established  or  con- 
firmed thee  with  His  Spirit.     (Augustine.)  ■ 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

5.  Tlie  Disciples  Comforted  Concerning  the  Lord's 
Departure  (xiv.  1-4). 

1-4.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled  :  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also  in 
me.  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions  ;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would 
have  told  you;  for  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you.  And  if  I  go  and  pre- 
pare a  place  for  you,  I  come  again,  and  will  receive  you  unto  myself ;  that 
where  I  am,  there  ye  may  be  also.     And  whither  I  go,  ye  know  the  way.j 

At  the  opening  of  this  chapter  Luther  says  of  this  and 
the  following  discourses  :  "  Here  the  Lord  has  abundant- 
ly poured  out  those  precious  consolations,  which  all 
Christians  enjoy,  and  which  men  ought  to  seek  in  all  their 
trials  and  tribulations.  Moreover  we  have  here  a  sum- 
mary of  all  the  principal  articles  of  Christian  doctrine, 
most  powerfully  established,  as  nowhere  else  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, such  as:  the  doctrine  of  three  distinct  Persons  in 
the  Trinity;  of  the  divine  and  human  nature  of  Christ 
and  His  eternal,  indivisible  Person  ;  also  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  faith  and  the  true  consolation  for  an  anxious  con- 
science." 

As  in  the  question  of  Peter,  so  here  in  these  assuring 
words  of  Christ  we  recognize  the  close  connection  with 
the  announcement  of  His  imminent  departure  which  had 
considerably  disturbed  and  discouraged  the  disciples. 
The  one  great  panacea  against  such  tribulations  is  faith, 
faith  in  God  and  faith  in  Christ.  We  prefer  the  transla- 
tion in  the  marginal  note  of  the  R.  V.,  taking  the  two 
190 


XIV,  1-3-]  CHAPTER  XIV.  191 

verbs  as  two  emphatic  imperatives  :  "  Believe  in  God, 
believe  also  in  Me."  Faith  in  God  is  the  foundation  of 
faith  in  Christ.  But  faith  in  Christ  is  the  only  way  to  a 
truly  saving  and  crowning  faith  in  God,  that  really  gives 
Him  all  His  due  honor.  In  demanding  the  same  faith 
for  Himself,  as  is  due  to  God,  Christ  unmistakeably  claims 
co-equality  with  God. 

The  Lord  has  now  reached  that  point  in  the  history  of 
His  life  when  the  world  will  refuse  Him  a  place.  In  a  few 
hours  Jerusalem  will  resound  with  the  cry  :  Away  with 
Him  !  Cast  Him  out !  Crucify  Him  !  And  in  the  face  of 
this  He  speaks  with  perfect  peace  and  assurance  of  heaven- 
ly mansions  for  Himself  and  His  own,  abiding-places, 
where  no  one  will  be  disturbed  or  expelled.  "  If  it  were 
not  so  I  would  have  told  you."  These  words  are  general- 
ly understood  as  a  simple  affirmation  of  His  positive 
statement,  on  which  His  disciples  can  absolutely  rely. 
A  better  meaning  of  this  sentence,  however,  is  obtained, 
by  reading  it  as  a  question  :  "  If  it  were  not  so,  would  I 
have  said  to  you  that  I  am  going  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you  ?  " 

His  going,  then,  is  for  the  benefit  of  His  disciples,  to 
prepare  a  place  for  them  in  the  Father's  house.  But  He 
will  come  again  and  receive  them  unto  Himself,  that  they 
may  be  where  He  is.  When  and  where  is  this  coming  of 
the  Lord  and  this  receiving  of  His  disciples  realized?  Is 
it  on  Easter,  when  the  risen  Saviour  appears  to  His  dis- 
ciples ?  or  on  Pentecost  when  He  sends  down  His  Spirit 
from  on  high  ?  or  at  the  hour  of  their  death,  when  He 
delivers  them  from  all  evil  and  takes  them  to  Himself,  to 
be  forever  with  the  Lord  ?  is  it  on  His  second  advent 
when  the  new  heaven  and  the  new  earth  shall  greet  the 
glorified  saints?  Combine  all  these  in  one  grand  per- 
spective :     He  comes  to   His  people  whenever  and  wher- 


192  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  5-7. 

ever  they  need  Him,  so  that  they  on  their  part  may  be 
fully  prepared  to  enter  His  heavenly  mansions. 


in.     Further    Interruptions    of    the    Disciples 
Answered  by  the  Lord  (xiv.  5-11). 

I.    TJionias  (xiv.  5-7). 

5-7.  Thomas  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  we  know  not  whither  thou  goest ; 
how  know  we  the  way  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  1  am  the  way,  and  the 
truth,  and  the  life  :  no  one  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me.  If  ye  had 
known  me,  ye  would  have  known  my  Father  also  :  from  henceforth  ye 
know  him,  and  have  seen  him. 

Thomas  is  the  "  pessimist  "  among  the  disciples. 
Being  by  nature  of  a  gloomy,  melancholy  disposition,  he 
finds  it  difficult  to  come  to  a  simple,  childlike  faith.  But 
at  the  same  time  he  is  a  most  earnest  and  sincere  inquirer, 
who  will  surely  find  the  right  way  in  the  end  according 
to  the  Lord's  own  promise  :  "  Seek  and  ye  shall  find." 
At  this  point  he  is  the  mouthpiece  of  all  the  Apostles, 
expressing  their  consternation  and  perplexity  at  the 
Lord's  impending  departure.  Therefore  the  answer  to 
his  question  is  in  reality  addressed  to  all  the  disciples, 
who  still  fail  to  comprehend  Christ's  peculiar  relation  to 
the  Father,  and  are  consequently  anxious  concerning  His 
future.  In  the  Lord's  answer  the  principal  idea,  to  which 
everything  else  is  subordinate,  is  evidently  that  of  the 
way.  He  is  the  way  to  the  Father  and  to  the  Father's 
house,  not  the  guide  to  point  out  the  way,  but  the  Way 
itself ;  and  the  only  way,  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other 
ways  and  means  of  coming  to  the  Father.  He  is  the 
Way,  because  He  is  the  Truth,  the  absolute  fullness  and 
reality  of  God's  revelation  to  man  and  man's  reconcilia- 
tion with  God.  Being  the  Truth,  He  is  also  the  Life. 
Divine  Truth,  as  represented  by  Him,  personified  in  Him. 


XIV.  6-S.]  CHAPTER  XIV.  193 

is  a  quickening  power,  begetting  and  preserving  lifc.^ 
Even  in  His  death,  yea,  through  His  very  death,  He  is 
the  Life  of  the  world.  As  He  was  now  ready  to  depart 
for  His  passion  and  death,  the  disciples  needed  to  be 
strongly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  He  is  the  Life,  all 
the  developments  of  the  next  twenty-four  hours  to  the 
contrary.  No  justice  is  done  to  this  brief  and  compre- 
hensive statement  of  the  Lord,  if  we  divest  it  of  all 
reference  to  His  mediatorial  office,  His  passion  and  death. 
Mark  also  the  divine  character  and  truly  heavenly 
majesty  shining  forth  in  these  words.  No  mere  man 
could  ever  speak  thus  of  himself  without  insane  pre- 
sumption and  conceit.  At  the  close  of  the  Lord's  answer 
(ver.  7),  there  is  both  a  rebuke  and  an  encouragement 
for  the  disciples  ;  a  rebuke,  because  they  do  not  yet 
know  Him  as  they  ought  to  know  Him  by  this  time  ;  an 
encouragement,  that  even  now  they  are  further  advanced 
in    their    Christian    knowledge     than     they    themselves 

realize. 

2.  Philip  (xiv.  8-1 1). 

8-1 1.  Philip  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  shew  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufficeth 
us.  Jesus  saith  unto  him,  Have  I  been  so  long  time  with  you,  and  dost 
thou  not  know  me,  Philip?  he  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father; 
how  sayest  thou.  Shew  us  the  Father  ?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in 
the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?  the  words  that  I  say  unto  you  I  speak 
not  from  myself  :  but  the  Father  abiding  in  me  doeth  his  works.  Believe  me 
that  I  am  in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  :  or  else  believe  me  for  the 
very  works'  sake. 

The  naive  request  of  Philip  undoubtedly  contains 
precious  elements  of  truth.  He  is  ready  to  accept  Christ 
as  the  way  to  the  Father,  as  the  only  one  who  can  show 
the  Father  ;  and  with  Christ's  revelation  of  the  Father 
he  declares  himself  perfectly  satisfied.     To  see  the  Father, 

1  See   John   vi.    63.     Also   the  twofold  meaning  of  the  German  word  : 
zeugen — testify  and  beget. 
13 


194  THE  GOSPEL  OE  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  9-11. 

as  shown  by  Christ,  would  be  to  Philip  the  climax  of 
earthly  happiness  ;  all  the  yearning  and  thirsting  of  the 
human  soul  after  God  would  be  completely  quenched,  if 
Christ  would  only  "  show  the  Father."  And  yet  there 
is  a  decided  tone  of  rebuke  in  the  gentle  answer  of  the 
Lord.  Philip  was  yet  far  from  realizing  the  experience, 
described  in  the  prologue  of  the  Gospel  (John  i.  14) : 
"  We  beheld  His  glory, — as  of  the  only-begotten  Son  of 
the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth."  In  this  petition 
that  the  Father  should  be  shown,  Philip  may  have  meant 
something  after  the  manner  of  the  Old  Testament  Theo- 
phanies.  But  his  very  demand  for  something  or  some 
one  to  see,  in  addition  to  Christ,  betrays  a  lack  of  faith 
and  of  a  correct  appreciation  of  the  true  relation  between 
Christ  and  the  Father.  He  that  hath  seen  Him  hath 
seen  the  Father.  While  the  line  of  distinction  between 
the  person  of  the  Father  and  the  person  of  the  Son  is 
clearly  maintained,  yet  it  is  stated  with  equal  distinct- 
ness that  the  Father  is  in  the  Son  and  the  Son  in  the 
Father.  The  Son  is  the  absolute  revelation  of  the  Father. 
Whatever  can  be  shoivn  of  the  Father,  so  as  to  bring  men 
to  a  personal  knowledge  of  and  communion  with  the 
Father,  is  shown  in  the  Son  and  in  Him  alone.  Behold 
the  Father's  power  and  majesty  in  the  works  of  the  Son  ; 
the  Father's  love  in  the  words  of  the  Son  ;  the 
Father's  holiness  in  the  life  of  the  Son.  Outside  of 
Christ  there  is  no  saving  knowledge  of  the  Father.^ 

And  there  is  only  one  way  to  realize  this  :  it  is  by  be- 
lieving that  Christ  is  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in 
Him,  on  the  testimony  of  His  works,  and  particularly 
His  words.     The  correct  petition  therefore  must  now  be 

1  Cf.  Luther's  repeated  and  vigorous  protest  :  I  know  and  will  know  of 
no  other  God,  except  the  One  that  lieth  in  the  manger  and  is  nailed  to  the 
cross,  etc. 


XIV.  12.]  CHAPTER  XIV.  ig^ 

addressed  to  the   Spirit :   "  Show   us  tJie  Son,  for  if  we 
know  and  see  the  Son,  we  know  and  have  the  Father." 

IV.    The   Parting  Words  Continued  (xiv.   12-31). 
I.    The  Disciples  Doing  the    Woi'ks  of  Jesus  (xiv.  12-14). 

12-14.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  he  that  believeth  on  me,  the  works 
that  I  do  shall  he  do  also ;  and  greater  zvorks  than  these  shall  he  do  ;  be- 
cause I  go  unto  the  Father.  And  whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name,  that 
will  I  do,  that  the  Father  may  be  glorified  in  the  .Son.  If  ye  shall  ask  me 
anything  in  my  name,  that  will  I  do. 

The  questions,  by  which  Thomas  and  Phihp  interrupted 
the  Lord's  discourse,  having  been  answered,  Jesus  pro- 
ceeds with  the  principal  theme — the  encouragement  and 
consolation  of  His  disciples  in  view  of  His  impending 
departure.  As  in  the  preceding  verses  (10  and  11),  so 
here  also  everything  is  based  upon  faith :  "  He  that 
believeth  on  Me."  In  the  power  of  that  faith,  works, 
great  works,  are  to  be  done.  The  reference  to  work  is 
in  itself  wholesome  medicine  for  hearts  aching  with  sor- 
row over  the  loss  of  one  so  near  and  dear.  But  the  Lord 
uses  the  very  strongest  language  to  magnify  the  life-work 
of  the  disciples.  Not  only  shall  His  work  be  continued 
by  them,  but  they  shall  even  do  greater  works.  It  is 
His  going  to  the  Father,  His  passion,  death  and  glorifi- 
cation, that  paves  the  way  for  these  greater  works  to  be 
done  by  the  disciples.  Strange  as  this  may  seem,  it  is 
literally  true.  The  work  of  the  Lord's  public  ministry 
on  earth,  with  its  miracles  and  preaching,  had  its  clear!}' 
defined  limitations.  "  He  was  not  sent  but  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."  And  in  addition  to  these 
theocratical,  national  and  geographical  barriers  there  was 
the  all-important  fact,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  had  not  yet 
been  shed  abroad,  for  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified.     But 


196  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  12-14. 

now,  after  His  going  to  the  Father,  what  a  mani- 
festation of  power  from  on  high  through  the  Apostles  ! 
The  result  of  Peter's  one  Pentecostal  sermon,  far  sur- 
passes everything  that  was  ever  given  to  Christ  during 
the  three  years  of  His  public  ministry.  The  same  is  true 
of  St.  Paul's  mission-work  from  Damascus  and  Arabia  to 
Spain.  "  The  Apostles'  work  reached  further  than 
Christ's,"  says  Luther.  "  They  filled  the  whole  world ; 
Christ  only  a  little  corner." 

These  works  of  the  disciples,  however,  are  in  reality 
Christ's  own  works.  He  continues  to  be  at  work:  "The 
works  that  /  do  "  are  works  carried  on  in  the  present, 
not  merely  works  done  in  the  past.  Now  these  greater 
works  are  given  to  the  disciples  by  the  glorified  Christ  in 
answer  to  their  prayers  which  they  offer  in  His  name. 
Thus  the  "  Ora"  (pray)  and  "  Labora"  (work)  are  beau- 
tifully and  permanently  blending  in  the  life-work  of  the 
disciples.  Such  prayer  is  to  be  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  that 
is,  in  living  faith  in  God's  revelation  in  Christ,  praying  at 
His  command,  by  His  authority,  pleading  His  interces- 
sion as  the  only  mediator  through  whom  we  may  come  to 
the  Father;  praying  after  His  own  mind,  in  His  spirit, 
for  the  cause  of  His  kingdom;  and  finally,  even  calling 
upon  Christ  Himself,  our  Saviour,  as  the  true  God.  This 
last  feature  we  maintain  even  though  the  pronoun  "  me  " 
in  the  14th  verse  ("  If  ye  shall  ask  Mc  anything  in  My 
name")  should  be  eliminated  from  the  text,  as  we  believe 
it  ought  to  be.^ 

2.  Praying  for  Another  Covi'fortcr  (xiv.  15-17). 

15-17.  If  ye  love  me  ye  will  keep  my  commandments.  And  I  will  pray 
the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you  another  Comforter,  that  he  may  be  with  you 

1  Though  Tischendorf  and  Westcott  retain  it  on  the  testimony  of  the 
Sinaitic  and  Vatican  MSS. 


XIV.  15-]  CHAPTER  XIV.  197 

for  ever,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth  :  whom  the  world  cannot  receive ;  for  it 
beholdeth  him  not,  neither  knoweth  him :  ye  know  him ;  for  he  abideth 
with  you,  and  shall  be  in  you. 

There  is  a  close  connection  between  the  15th  and  the 
following  verses.  In  making  the  precious  promise 
(vers.  16  and  17)  the  Lord  insists  on  a  condition:  the 
disciples  must  love  Him  and,  in  proof  of  this  love,  keep 
His  commandments.  Then  He  will  ask  the  Father  to 
give  them  another  "  Paraclete,"  the  Spirit  of  truth. 
This  is  the  first  full  and  direct  announcement  by  the  Lord 
of  that  great  Pentecostal  fact,  the  coming  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  that  had  been  referred  to  on  former  occasions  as 
the  best  gift  which  God's  children  could  possibly  ask  from 
their  heavenly  Father. 

Here,  as  in  all  the  subsequent  utterances  of  the  Lord 
on  this  subject,  the  personality  of  the  Spirit  is  strongly 
emphasized.  He  speaks  of  Him  as  "  another  Paraclete 
or  Advocate,"  implying  that  in  the  first  place  Christ 
Himself  was  the  Comforter,  that  is,  the  Advocate  of  the 
disciples,  as  He  is  represented  in  i  John  ii.  i.  As  the 
"  Logos  "  in  the  gospel  of  St.  John  is  clearly  a  divine 
person,  so  also  is  the  "  Paraclete,"  who  carries  on  the 
work  of  the  Logos.  All  the  verbs  in  this  context,  which 
describe  the  different  acts  of  Jesus,  of  the  Father  and  of 
the  Comforter,  bear  a  decidedly  personal  character.  They 
represent  throughout  acts  that  can  be  predicated  only  of 
persons:  the /r«_;'/^^  or  asking  on  the  part  of  the  Son; 
the  giving  on  the  part  of  the  Father  ;  the  abiding  on  the 
part  of  the  Spirit. 

The  ''  Paraclete,"  the  one  who  is  called  in,  or  called 
upon  for  assistance,  is  the  "  Advocate,"  the  counsel  and 
assistant,  to  plead  one's  cause,  to  represent  one  and  to 
make  intercession.  Thus  Luther  explains  the  term  : 
"  One,  who  is  the  advocate  or  support  (Beistand)  of  the 


igg  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  i6,  17. 

accused,  who  takes  charge  of  his  case,  to  defend  him,  to 
plead  his  cause,  to  assist  him  with  his  counsel,  admoni- 
tion, instruction  and  encouragement,  as  it  may  be 
needed."  ^ 

This  Paraclete  is  the  Spirit  of  truth.  In  addition  to 
the  word  which  Christ  left  to  the  disciples  they  shall  also 
have  the  Spirit  Himself,  the  Spirit  of  grace,  of  faith, 
of  adoption,  of  prayer,  of  love,  of  holiness,  power  and 
glory.  In  the  midst  of  the  discomfort  which  the  Lord's 
departure  causes  to  the  disciples,  there  comes  this  blessed 
assurance  to  them  that  this  other  Comforter  shall  abide 
with  them,  yea,  in  them  forever  ;  of  course  not  in  the  sense 
of  a  gift  that  could  under  no  circumstances  be  lost. 
However  great  and  precious  a  privilege  it  was  to  have 
the  Lord  as  personal  friend  and  counsellor  during  His 
life  on  earth,  it  is  a  greater  gift  that  henceforth  the 
disciples  were  to  have  the  Paraclete  in  their  own  hearts. 
Thus  they  will  truly  become  Christian  characters,  ripened 
into  full  Christian  manhood. 

This  possession  of  the  "  Paraclete  "  is  the  characteristic 
mark  of  the  disciples  over  against  the  world,  which  can- 
not receive  Him  and  does  not  behold  nor  know  Him. 
As  it  would  not  receive  the  Logos  (John  i.  10,  11),  it  will 
have  nothing  to  do  with  this  "  other  Paraclete."  It  will 
not  look  to  Him  for  light,  advice  or  assistance.  It  looks 
away  from  Him,  having  its  eyes  fixed  upon  the  visible, 
tangible  things  of  God's  creation,  and  ignoring  the 
heavenly,  invisible  gifts  and  graces  of  God's  redemption. 

1  The  German  word  "  Troster  "  which  -is  used  in  Luther's  version  for 
"  Comforter,"  in  its  ancient  meaning  corresponds  very  closely  to  the  Greek 
"paracletos."  It  is  related  to  "  trauen  "  (trust)  and  means  a  protector  on 
whom  we  may  rely.  The  same  meaning  is  attached  to  the  English  term 
"  Comforter,"  as  first  used  by  Wicliff  in  his  version  of  the  Bible.  The 
"  Comforter"  in  the  language  of  ancient  English  law  is  one  who  gives  sup- 
port or  assistance. 


XIV.  i8.]  CHAPTER  XIV.  199 

3.    The  Lord  Coming  ivith  the  Father  (xiv.  18-21). 

18-21.  I  will  not  leave  you  desolate:  I  come  unto  you.  Yet  a  little 
while,  and  the  world  beholdeth  me  no  more ;  but  ye  behold  me  :  because 
I  live,  ye  shall  live  also.  In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  in  my 
Father,  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  He  that  hath  my  commandments,  and 
keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  me :  and  he  that  loveth  me  shall  be 
loved  of  my  Father,  and  I  will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  myself  unto  him. 

As  the  Lord  had  before  addressed  His  beloved  disciples 
as  "little  children  "  (xiii.  33),  He  now  describes  their  con- 
dition after  His  departure  as  that  of  desolate  orphans.  And 
such  indeed  was  their  state  between  the  passion  and  the 
resurrection  of  Christ.  Though  lasting  only  "  a  little 
while,"  it  was  a  perfect  abyss  of  despondency  through 
which  they  had  to  pass  in  those  hours.  But  here  are 
His  promises:  "  I  come  unto  you.  Ye  behold  Me.  I 
live."  Their  fulfilment  began  with  the  re-appearance  of 
the  risen  Lord  on  Easter-day,  and  culminated,  for  the 
Apostles  in  their  lifetime,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  But 
the  coming  of  the  Lord  and  the  coming  of  the  promised 
Paraclete  are  not  absolutely  identical.  It  must  never  be 
forgotten  that  in  distinction  from  the  presence  of  the 
Spirit  the  glorified  Christ  is  still  true  man,  with  a  full 
human  nature,  including  even  a  human  body,  which 
shares  in  His  divine  glory.  It  is  the  one,  undivided 
Christ,  in  His  state  of  glory,  that  promises  to  come  to, 
and  to  be  with  His  disciples. 

When  He  shows  Himself  as  the  living  One  to  His 
desolate  disciples,  when  He  brings  His  peace  from  the 
tomb,  their  hearts  are  filled  with  joy,  their  doubt  and 
unbelief  is  ended,  they  begin  to  live  in  a  new  and  heavenly 
sense  of  that  word.  And  when  on  the  day  of  Pentecost 
they  are  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  realize  what 
it   is  to   live  through  Christ,  in  Christ,  for  Christ.     The 


2  00  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  20-22. 

reality  and  fullness  of  this  new  life  is  unfolded  before  our 
eyes  in  the  Book  of  Acts.  Compare  those  men,  as  we 
know  them  from  the  narrative  of  the  Acts  since  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  with  their  attitude  in  the  history  of  the 
Gospels.  Truly,  those  men,  their  words  and  discourses, 
their  acts  and  lives,  have  become  immortal  through  the 
living  Christ,  whom  they  witnessed.  Their  names  are 
written  on  the  walls  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  (Revela- 
tion xxi.  14).  They  are  live  men  through  their  living 
Saviour. 

In  that  day  the  disciples  shall  gain  that  true  insight 
into  the  relation  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  and 
between  the  Son  and  themselves:  "  I  in  My  Father.  Ye 
in  Me.  I  in  you."  For  this  is  life  eternal  that  they 
should  know  the  only  true  God  and  Him  whom  He  did 
send,  even  Jesus  Christ  (John  xvii.  3). 

4.    To  whom  will  He  manifest  Himself  ?  (xiv.  22-24). 

22-24.  Judas  (not  Iscariot)  saith  unto  him,  Lord,  what  is  come  to  pass 
that  thou  wilt  manifest  thyself  unto  us,  and  not  unto  the  world .'  Jesus 
answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  a  rnan  love  me,  he  will  keep  my  word:  and 
my  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our  abode 
with  him.  He  that  loveth  me  not  keepeth  not  my  words  :  and  the  word 
which  ye  hear  is  not  mine,  but  the  Father's  who  sent  me. 

Another  interruption  or  interpellation  on  the  part  of 
the  disciples,  this  time  by  Judas  Lebbaeus  or  Thaddseus. 
With  undisguised  naive  astonishment  he  asks:  "  What  in 
the  world  has  happened,  that  Th-ou  wilt  manifest  Thyself 
unto  us  and  not  unto  the  world?  "  He  is  evidently  not 
conscious  of  the  sharp  contrast  between  the  spirit  of  the 
world  and  the  .spirit  of  Christ's  disciples.  So  far  from  judg- 
ing the  world  for  its  alienation  from  God,  he  shows  a  cer- 
tain humility  in  his  amazement  that  the  disciples  should 


XIV.  22-24-]  CHAPTER  XIV.  20I 

be  so  much  nearer  to  the  Lord  than  the  world.  But  there 
is  yet  another  side  to  this  question  of  Judas.  It  reminds 
us  somewhat  of  the  demand  of  Christ's  unbeHeving 
brothers  that  lie  should  manifest  Himself  to  the  world 
(John  vii.  4).  The  dilTficult  problem  before  the  eyes  of 
Judas  is  this:  Shall  the  manifestation  of  Christ  be  con- 
fined to  the  small  circle  of  disciples,  and  shall  the  world 
be  shut  out  from  it?  What,  then,  becomes  of  the  Mes- 
sianic kingdom  in  this  world?  "  What  sort  of  a  king  is 
He  to  be,  who  will  show  Himself  to  no  one  and  will 
manage  His  kingdom  in  such  a  mysterious,  secret  way, 
that  no  one  shall  see  Him  or  know  Him,  except  the  few 
who  love  Him?"  (Luther). 

Over  against  this  question  and  the  spirit  which  under- 
lies it,  the  Lord,  without  entering  fully  into  it,  simply 
emphasizes  the  internal,  spiritual  character  of  His  revela- 
tion and  of  His  kingdom.  The  mark  of  His  disciples  as 
over  against  the  world,  is  their  loving  the  Lord  and 
keeping  His  word.  And  these  are  the  souls  in  which 
the  Father  and  the  Son  will  take  up  their  abode  through 
the  Pentecostal  coming  of  the  Spirit, — the  full  New 
Testament  realization  of  the  Old  Testament  Shekinah. 
"  A  true  and  glorious  day  of  Pentecost  and  a  powerful 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  a  heavenly  gathering  or 
concilium  in  two  directions  :  the  hearts  being  enlightened 
and  filled  by  the  Holy  Spirit  with  the  love  of  Christ  ; 
and  again  the  love  of  Christ  and  of  the  Father  shining 
forth  manifesting  itself  toward  the  believers  "  (Luther). 
This  passage  indeed  sets  forth  the  true  idea  and  defini- 
tion of  the  Church  of  Christ :  the  assembly  of  Saints  and 
Believers,  gathered  around  the  word  of  Christ,  who  love 
the  Lord,  who  are  the  beloved  of  the  Father,  and  with 
whom  the  Triune  God  is  dwelling,  they  themselves  being 
temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost.     It  is  therefore  a  most  ap- 


202  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  25,  26. 

propriate    selection    by    which    this    passage   (John    xiv. 
23-30)  was  taken  for  the  Gospel  of  the  day  of  Pentecost. 


5.   TJie  TcacJiiyig  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (xiv.  25,  26). 

25-26.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  while^^/  abiding  with  you. 
But  the  Comforter,  even  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  the  Father  will  send  in  my 
name,  he  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring  to  your  remembrance  all  that 
I  said  unto  you. 

The  Lord  refers  here  again  to  His  imminent  departure. 
The  time  of  those  direct  personal  communications  between 
Christ  and  His  disciples  is  now  at  an  end.  But  their 
learning,  studying  and  growing  in  knowledge  is  not  ended. 
As  the  parting  Lord  gives  them  over  to  the  instruction 
of  the  Paraclete,  the  Spirit  of  truth,  now  definitely  called 
"the  Holy  Spirit,"  their  knowledge  of  Christ's  truth  will 
be  better  developed  and  increased  than  during  the  days 
of  their  Master's  visible  presence.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  to 
be  sent  by  the  Father  in  Christ's  name,  that  is,  not  simply 
by  His  request,  through  His  mediation,  but  in  His  place, 
to  manifest  and  to  glorify  the  Son.  His  work  is  to  teach 
the  disciples  and  to  remind  them  of  all  that  Christ  said 
unto  them.  These  two  statements,  describing  the  work 
of  the  Spirit,  must  not  be  separated  from  each  other, 
much  less  be  considered  as  in  any  way  antithetical  to  each 
other.  The  Holy  Spirit  in  teaching  the  disciples  all  things 
does  not  introduce  absolutely  new  doctrines  of  which  they 
never  heard  before.  All  His  teachings  are  based  upon 
Christ's.  They  are  the  development  of  the  seed  sown 
by  Christ.  The  real  character  of  the  Spirit's  teaching  is 
to  repeat,  to  freshen,  to  expand,  to  deepen  the  knowledge 
of  truth  received  before  in  the  words  of  the  Master. 
"  Nothing  is  to  be  taught  "  says  Luther,  "  in  the  Chris- 
tian Church   by  the   Holy  Spirit,  but  what  the  Apostles 


XIV.  27.]  CHAPTER  XIV.  203 

had  heard  from  Christ."  Most  vigorously  does  he  pro- 
test against  the  Romanist's  claim,  that  their  "traditions" 
contain  a  great  deal  of  what  the  Holy  Spirit  had  to  teach 
after  the  Apostles'  times,  which  they  themselves  had 
never  known  or  taugflit. 


6.    TJie  Peace  of  Jesus  (xiv.  27). 

27.  Peace  I  leave  with  you ;  my  peace  I  give  unto  you :  not  as  the 
world  giveth,  give  I  unto  you.  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled,  neither  let 
it  be  fearful. 

Possibly  after  a  short  pause  the  Lord  begins  with 
this  "  Farewell,"  the  salutation  commonly  used  in  the 
Orient  to  the  present  day  on  coming  or  going.  The  term 
is  taken  from  the  Old  Testament  "  Shalom,"  which  sig- 
nifies not  a  subjective  feeling  of  pleasure  or  happiness, 
but  an  objective  state  of  health,  a  condition  of  absolute 
well-being  (Isaiah  liii.  5).  This  peace  is  more  fully  char- 
acterized as  Christ's  peace:  ''  My  peace  I  give  unto  you." 
This  is  not  simply  a  repetition,  but  an  explanation.  It  is 
the  peace  which  no  one  has  to  give  but  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  has  obtained  it  for  us  by  His  going  to  the 
Father.  His  whole  salvation  is  included  in  this  word 
(Acts  iv.  12).  This  gift  is  essentially  different  from  the 
world's  way  of  giving.  Of  course,  zvJiat  the  Lord  gives  is 
not  what  the  world  gives.  But  here  it  is  more  the  Jiozv 
the  Lord  gives,  that  differs  from  the  world's  giving.  The 
world  says  :  Peace !  Peace  !  and  yet  there  is  no  peace, 
for  the  wicked  have  no  peace.  But  while  the  world  in 
hollow  phrases  boasts  of  peace,  Christ  gives  a  heavenly 
reality,  a  peace  that  passeth  all  understanding.  Hold- 
ing first  to  this  peace,  the  disciples'  hearts  must  not  be 
discouraged,  though  they  may  be  disturbed  for  a  time. 
The  greatest  disturbance  awaited   them  within  the  next 


204  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xiv.  28,  29. 

day  in  the  passion  and  death  of  their  Lord.  And  yet, 
out  of  the  wreck  of  all  their  earthly,  carnal  aspirations, 
the  "  peace  "  of  Christ  was  saved  to  them  by  the  triumph 
of  Easter-day. 

7.    TJie  Believers  Joy  in  Christ's  Departure  (xiv.  28,  29). 

28-29.  Ye  heard  how  I  said  unto  you,  I  go  away,  and  I  come  unto  you. 
If  ye  loved  me,  ye  would  have  rejoiced,  because  I  go  unto  the  Father:  for 
the  P"ather  is  greater  than  I.  And  now  I  have  told  you  before  it  come  to 
pass,  that,  when  it  is  come  to  pass,  ye  may  believe. 

Divine  thoughts  and  human  thoughts  are  the  very 
reverse  of  each  other.  The  disciples  think  that  because 
they  love  Him  they  cannot  but  sorrow  over  His  departure. 
The  Lord  thinks,  if  they  love  Him  they  must  rejoice  over 
it.  For  it  means  His  going  to  the  Father,  from  a  state 
of  humiliation  and  suffering  to  a  state  of  exaltation,  of 
glory.  This  is  what  He  intends  to  say  by  the  statement  : 
"The  Father  is  greater  than  L"  There  is  no  comparison 
in  these  words  between  the  divinity  of  the  Father  and  the 
human  nature  of  the  Son,  but  the  Lord  compares,  as 
Calvin  also  explains,  "  His  present  state  with  the 
heavenly  glory  "  to  which  He  is  going.  Before  going 
to  the  Father  He  was,  as  Luther  says,  "  a  poor,  miserable, 
suffering  Christ,  but  now  with  the  Father  He  is  a  great, 
glorious,  living  and  almighty  Lord  over  all  creatures." 

8.  Jesus  and  tJie  Prinee  of  the  1  For /d  {xiv.  30,  31). 

30-31.  I  will  no  more  speak  much  with  j^ou,  for  the  prince  of  the  world 
Cometh :  and  he  hath  nothing  in  me;  but  that  the  world  may  know  that  I 
love  the  Father,  and  as  the  Father  gave  me  commandment,  even  so  I  do. 
Arise,let  us  go  hence. 

Satan  is  the  Prince  of  the  World  (sometimes  even 
called  the  God  of  this  world),  not  de  jure  (of  right),  but 


XIV.  30,  3i]  CHAPTER  XIV.  205 

de  facto  (as  a  matter  of  fact).  In  the  unlimited  self-re- 
liance of  this  position  he  comes  to  try  his  power  even 
against  the  Holy  One  of  Israel.  He  attacks  Him  in  the 
dark  hours  of  His  passion,  not  only  through  those  men 
who  acted  as  his  tools,  but  in  that  mysterious  personal 
conflict  (Luke  xxii.  53),  which  took  place  in  Christ's  agony 
in  the  garden  before  any  of  His  captors  laid  their  hands 
on  Him  (Heb.  ii.  14,  18).  But  though  the  enemy  may 
attack  and  molest  Him  he  will  gain  nothing.  He  has  no 
hold  on  Him  ;  there  is  no  sin,  no  weakness  that  would 
give  him  any  claim  on  Christ.  Of  this  the  Lord  is  fully 
conscious,  and  by  this  thought  He  encourages  and 
strengthens  Himself  against  the  Prince  of  darkness. 
Though  it  might  look  as  if  He  was,  for  a  time,  helplessly 
overpowered  by  the  Evil  One,  still  in  this  very  conflict 
the  world  shall  find  the  greatest  demonstration  of  Christ's 
love  to  the  Father  and  His  faithfulness  in  carrying  out 
the  Father's  commission.  It  is  not  through  the  over- 
whelming attack  of  the  enemy  that  He  is  forced  into  His 
passion,  but  it  is  His  loving  obedience  to  the  Father  that 
leads  Him  to  the  cross  and  to  the  tomb. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

V,  New  Parting  Discourse  (Ch.  xv.  and  xvi.). 

I.    TJie  Vine  and  the  Branches  (xv.  i-8). 

1-8.  I  am  the  true  vine,  and  my  Father  is  the  husbandman.  Every 
branch  in  me  that  beareth  not  fruit,  he  taketh  it  away :  and  every  branch 
that  beareth  fruit,  he  cleanseth  it,  that  it  may  bear  more  fruit.  Already 
ye  are  clean  because  of  the  word  which  I  have  spoken  unto  you.  Abide 
in  me,  and  I  in  you.  As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it 
abide  in  the  vine  :  so  neither  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in  me.  I  am  the  vine, 
ye  are  the  branches  :  He  that  abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bear- 
eth much  fruit  :  for  apart  from  me  ye  can  do  nothing.  If  a  man  abide 
not  in  me,  he  is  cast  forth  as  a  branch,  and  is  withered  ;  and  they  gather 
them,  and  cast  them  into  the  fire,  and  they  are  burned.  If  ye  abide  in  me, 
and  my  words  abide  in  you,  ask  whatsoever  ye  will,  and  it  shall  be  done 
unto  you.  Herein  is  my  Father  glorified,  that  ye  bear  much  fruit ;  and  so 
shall  ye  be  my  disciples. 

After  the  concluding  words  of  the  preceding  chapter 
the  question  naturally  presents  itself  as  to  the  circum- 
stances and  surroundings  under  which  the  words  con- 
tained in  chapters  xv.  to  xvii.  were  spoken.  After  the 
positive  order,  given  by  Christ :  "  Arise,  let  us  go  hence," 
we  cannot  doubt  that  the  disciples  did  arise,  ready  to 
start  with  their  Lord  for  any  place  of  destination  to 
which  He  might  lead  them.  The  most  common  explana- 
tion ever  since  the  time  of  Chrysostom  is,  that  at  that 
point  the  Lord  left  the  upper  room,  where  He  had  spent 
the  evening,  to  go  to  Gethsemane,  and  that  the  following 
discourses  were  spoken  on  the  road  to  the  garden,  or  at  a 
quiet,  secluded  spot  on  the  slope  from  the  eastern  wall 
206 


XV.  I.]  CHAPTER  XV.  207 

of  the  city  to  the  valley  of  the  Kidron.  Some  inter- 
preters even  go  so  far  as  to  suggest,  that,  "  stopping  on 
the  way  before  a  vine  covered  with  branches,"  the  Lord 
took  up  the  theme  of  the  parable  of  the  vine.  But  we 
find  it  extremely  difficult  to  think  of  a  place  quiet  enough 
for  the  following  discourses,  and  particularly  for  the 
sacerdotal  prayer,  on  the  road  through  the  city  to  Geth- 
semane  ;  especially  if  we  remember  that  during  this  pass- 
over-week  all  Jerusalem,  including  its  immediate  neighbor- 
hood, was  crowded  with  pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the 
country.  We  are  therefore  more  inclined  to  picture  the 
scene,  following  the  fourteenth  chapter,  in  this  manner: 
that  the  disciples,  after  rising  from  the  table,  remained 
standing,  grouped  around  their  Master  in  that  upper 
room,  and  that  then  and  there  the  words  in  ch.  xv.  to 
xvii.  were  spoken. 

The  contrast  between  the  opening  of  the  fifteenth  chap- 
ter and  the  conclusion  of  the  fourteenth  is  quite  striking. 
After  the  reference  to  "  the  old  bitter  foe"  lurking  in  the 
darkness  ready  to  assault  the  Lord,  this  peaceful  picture  of 
the  vineyard  and  the  quiet  work  of  the  husbandman  on 
the  branches  of  the  vine  !  We  need  not  look  around  for 
any  outward  objects  suggesting  the  fruitful  theme  of  this 
parable.  The  Lord's  Supper,  with  its  cup  of  blessing, 
which  had  just  been  instituted,  would  indeed  have  been 
suggestion  enough.  But  even  apart  from  this,  the  figure 
of  the  vine  was  perfectly  familiar  to  the  Israelites,  not 
only  because  the  vine  was  one  of  the  chief  products  of 
their  country,  but  because  the  Old  Testament  scriptures 
repeatedly  use  the  vineyard  with  its  work  and  its  fruit  as 
an  illustration  of  the  Israelitic  theocracy  (Psalm  Ixxx. 
9  ff.  ;   Isaiah  v.  i    ff.  ;  Jeremiah  ii.  21  ;   Ezekiel  xix.    10).^ 

'  At  the  benediction  of  the  first  cup  of  the  Passover  the  Israelites 
offered  the  following  prayers  :  "  Blessed  art  Thou,  Lord  God,  the  King  of 


2o8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xv.  i. 

And  now,  at  the  very  time  when  His  judgment  was  ready 
to  fall  upon  His  Old  Testament  vineyard,  God  makes  a 
new  beginning,  in  choosing  and  preparing  this  vine  of  the 
New  Testament  by  whose  fruitful  branches  He  is  to  be 
better  praised  and  glorified  than  by  the  sour  grapes  of 
the  former  dispensation. 

The  Father  the  husbandman,  the  Lord  Jesus  the  true 
vine,  the  disciples  the  branches, — these  are  the  leading 
points  of  the  parable.  The  Father  plants  this  vine  in 
His  own  vineyard,  giving  His  only-begotten  Son  into 
this  world,  making  Him  the  life  and  salvation  of  a  lost 
race  through  His  passion,  death  and  resurrection  ;  giving 
to  the  Son  those  that  are  to  believe  in  Him,  and  watching 
over  their  growth  and  development  as  living,  fruitful 
branches.  The  Son,  as  the  true  vine,  stands  between  the 
husbandman  and  the  branches.  He  belongs  to  both,  as 
the  vine  planted  by  the  husbandman  and  as  the  vine  on 
which  the  branches  grow.  It  is  impossible  for  the  hus- 
bandman to  have  branches  that  will  bear  fruit  for  His 
honor  and  glory,  without  having  that  particular  vine 
planted  for  that  purpose  ;  that  is,  speaking  without  figure, 
it  is  only  through  the  incarnation  and  the  redemption 
wrought  by  the  Son,  that  the  Father  will  have  a  king- 
dom, accomplishing  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls. 
The  relation  of  the  branches  to  the  vine  is  not  the  out- 
come of  a  natural  process,  such  as  our  natural  birth.  It 
is  the  result  of  our  being  engrafted  into  Christ  through 
baptism  for  a  real,  personal  life-union. 

Thus  this  parable  of  the  true- vine  contains  the  whole 
secret  of  true  Christianity.  It  is  far  more  than  having 
Christ  for  a  teacher  or  example,  more  even  than  having 

the  World,  who  hast  created  the  fruit  of  the  vine."  And  "  Blessed  art  Thou, 
Lord  God,  the  King  of  the  World,  who  has  chosen  us  above  every 
nation." 


XV.  1-8.]  CHAPTER  XV.  209 

Him  for  our  Mediator  and  Ilighpriest  ;  it  is  life  from 
Him,  through  Him,  with  Him  and  in  Him,  as  Paul  says 
(Gal.  ii.  20)  :  "  I  live,  and  yet  no  longer  I,  but  Christ 
liveth  in  me." 

The  detailed  accounts  concerning  the  relation  of  the 
branches  to  the  vine  and  their  development,  are  full  of 
solemn  warning,  admonition  and  encouragement  to  the 
disciples.  The  fate  of  the  unfruitful  branches  is  pictured 
with  terrible  clearness :  "  taken  away  (ver.  2),  cast  forth, 
withered,  gathered,  cast  into  the  fire,  burned  "  (ver.  6). 
A  judgment,  beginning  already  in  this  life  and  extending 
into  eternity,  reminding  us  strongly  of  the  preaching  of 
John  the  Baptist  :  "  Every  tree  that  bringeth  not  forth 
good  fruit  is  hewn  down  and  cast  into  the  fire  "  (Matt, 
iii.  10).  To  avoid  this  the  branches  must  be  subject  to 
the  pruning  discipline  of  the  husbandman.  It  is  either 
aipziv  or  -/.aOaiptv^ ;  either  the  things  that  are  evil  must 
be  taken  away,  and  thus  the  branches  cleaned,  or  we 
ourselves  will  be  cut  off.  On  the  other  hand,  those 
branches  that  begin  to  bear  fruit  have  the  promise  of 
being  watched  over  and  constantly  improved  by  the 
pruning,  purifying  discipline  of  the  Father.  In  this  the 
Son  also  has  His  share,  for  it  is  through  Christ's  word 
that  the  disciples  are  being  cleaned.  With  His  words 
abiding  in  them  and  the  open  access  to  the  throne  of 
grace  through  Him,  the  disciples  will  be  kept  as  such 
in  the  spirit  of  true  discipleship,  bringing  forth  much 
fruit  to  the  honor  and  praise  of  the  Father. 

2,   Abiding  in  His  Love  by  Keeping  His  Coniiuandnients 
(xv.  9-17). 

9-17.     Even  as  the  Father  hath  loved  ine,  I  also  have  loved  you  :  abide 
ye  in  my  love.     If  ye  keep  my  commandments,  ye  shall  abide  in  my  love ; 
even  as  I  have  kept  my   Father's  commandments,  and  abide  in  his  love. 
14 


2IO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xv.  9,  10. 

These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my  joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that 
your  joy  may  be  fulfilled.  This  is  my  commandment,  that  ye  love  one 
another,  even  as  I  have  loved  you.  Greater  love  hath  no  man  than  this, 
that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends.  Ye  are  my  friends,  if  ye  do 
the  things  which  I  command  you.  No  longer  do  I  call  you  servants;  for 
the  servant  knoweth  not  what  his  lord  doeth :  but  I  have  called  you 
friends  ;  for  all  things  that  I  heard  from  my  Father  I  have  made  known 
unto  you.  Ye  did  not  choose  me,  but  I  chose  you,  and  appointed  you, 
that  ye  should  go  and  bear  fruit,  and  that  your  fruit  should  abide  :  that 
whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  may  give  it  you. 
These  things  I  command  you,  that  ye  may  love  one  another. 

The  life-union  between  the  vine  and  the  branches  is 
substantially  a  union  of  love.  It  is  true,  this  love  makes 
its  demands  upon  the  disciples  and  must  be  evidenced  by 
keeping  His  commandments,  but  it  is  not,  in  the  first 
place,  the  result  of  an  outward,  legal  commandment.  It 
springs  from  that  unspeakable  gift  of  love  which  the 
disciples  have  received  in  Christ  :  "  I  have  loved  you." 
Here  is  the  beginning  of  this  loving  union  between  Christ 
and  His  own,  as  between  the  vine  and  the  branches. 
And  with  what  manner  of  love  has  He  loved  them ! 
"  Even  as  the  Father  hath  loved  Me."  Here  is  the  true 
head-spring  of  all  love,  the  love  existing  'from  eternity 
between  the  Father  and  the  Son.  All  the  love  between 
Christ  and  His  own  is  simply  the  outcome  of  the  Father's 
love  to  Him  and  in  Him;  the  flowing  over  of  that  divine 
love  upon  men,  who  thus  receive  a  taste  of  the  loving 
communion  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  and  become 
aware  that  they  owe  their  life  and  salvation  to  this  love 
which  brought  the  everlasting  Son  into  this  world  of  sin 
and  death. 

To  abide  in  this  loving  union  with  Christ,  the  disciples 
must  needs  keep  His  commandments.  A  great  deal  is 
included  in  this  comprehensive  term  "  ;//j'  love:'''  His 
love  to  us  ;  our  love  to  Him;  our  love  to  the  brethren 
which    binds    us    together    in    spiritual    union    with    our 


XV.  lo,  II.]  CHAPTER  XV.  2ii 

fellow-believers.  The  keeping  of  His  commandments  in 
this  connection  certainly  has  nothing  of  a  legalistic  bond- 
age in  it.  There  is  an  inspiring  parallelism  and  example 
to  it,  when  the  Lord  says :  "  Even  as  I  have  kept  My 
Father's  commandments  and  abide  in  His  love."  The 
love  of  the  Father  has  moved  the  Son  to  undertake  the 
work  of  redemption.  "  Lo,  I  come :  I  delight  to  do  Thy 
will  "  (Psalm  xl,  7,  8).  Down  to  the  very  end  of  His 
earthly  life,  through  all  the  details  of  His  life,  passion 
and  death,  Christ  has  this  unbroken  testimony  with  Him 
of  an  absolute,  loving,  faithful  submission  to  the  will  of 
the  Father.  (See  the  opening  of  John's  account  of  the 
passion  of  Christ  at  the  beginning  of  chapter  xiii.,  and 
especially  the  agony  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane  with  the 
prayer:  "  Thy  will  be  done.")  Thus  also  the  love  of  the 
disciples  to  Christ  is  to  be  demonstrated  and  preserved  in 
a  similar  manner  by  keeping  His  commandments. 

With  the  love  of  Christ  also  the  joy  of  Christ  will  be 
the  blessed  inheritance  of  the  disciples.  "  These  things 
have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  My  joy  may  be  in  you  and  that 
your  joy  may  be  fulfilled."  This  means  neither  His  joy 
in  them  or  over  them,  nor  their  rejoicing  in  Him,  but  it 
refers  to  that  quiet,  holy,  inward  cheerfulness,  which 
characterized  Christ  during  the  years  of  His  life  on  earth. 
Though  we  have  no  record  of  special  manifestations  of 
great  outward  joy,  but  rather  the  distinct  testimony,  that 
the  Lord  wept,  at  least,  on  three  different  occasions,  still 
the  picture  of  Christ's  life  on  earth,  as  drawn  by  the 
Evangelist,  gives  us  the  impression,  that  through  all  the 
conflicts  of  His  life  He  was  full  of  a  heavenly  peace  and 
joy,  of  which  the  world  had  no  conception.  This  joy  of 
His  sprung  from  His  consciousness  of  the  love  of  God, 
His  unity  with  the  Father,  and  it  does  not  leave  Him 
even  now  on  the  way  to  the  cross.     Such  heavenly  joy  is 


212  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xv.  11-13. 

to  pass  over  to  the  disciples,  so  that  they  may,  in  this 
respect,  be  like  their  Master,  and  enjoy  a  perfect,  heav- 
enly peace,  surpassing  all  the  happiness  they  may  have 
had  before. 

Christ  Himself  is  the  headspring  and  the  example  of 
every  good  and  perfect  thing  which  His. disciples  are  to 
have.  Their  joy  is  to  be  like  His  joy  ;.  their  love  is  to  be 
like  His  love.  In  order  to  give  His  disciples  an  approxi- 
mate idea  of  that  love  from  which  their  own  brotherly 
love  is  to  draw  its  inspiration,  the  Lord  condescends  to  a 
truly  human  comparison  :  "  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  that  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends." 
These  words  are,  in  this  connection,  not  meant  to  bring 
out  the  full  purpose  and  meaning  of  His  death,  as  an 
atonement  for  the  sins  of  the  world.  We  know  that 
Christ  died  not  only  for  these.  His  friends.  "  He  is  the 
propitiation  not  for  our  sins  only,  but  for  the  sins  of  the 
whole  world  "  (i  John  ii.  2).  And  "  God  commendeth  His 
love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ 
died  for  us "  (Rom.  v.  6-8).  But  in  speaking  of  the 
sacrifice  of  His  life  the  Lord  here  simply  describes  His 
unbounded  devotion  to  those  beloved  ones,  whom  He 
honored  with  His  love  and  friendship  then  and  there. 
Of  course,  the  general  character  and  bearing  of  Christ's 
love,  as  manifested  in  His  atoning  death,  must  at  once  be 
recognized,  when  the  question  is  raised  :  "  How  is  it  that 
these  weak,  erring,  sinful  men  ever  became  the '  friends ' 
of  the  Holy  One  of  Lsrael?"  We  answer,  with  Luther  : 
"  Formerly  they  were  His  enemies,  but  now  they  are 
friends,  simply  because  He  counts  them  as  such.  Not 
that  they  had  done  Him  any  good,  but  He  is  doing  them 
all  the  good  He  can.  For  such  '  friends  '  He  layeth 
down  His  life,  who  never  did  Him  any  good  ;  but  He 
loved  them  and  made  them  friends." 


XV.  14,  15-]  CHAPTER  XV.  213 

While  the  Lord  insists  that,  in  order  to  abide  in  His 
friendship,  the  disciples  must  "  do  the  things  which  I 
command  you,"  He  nevertheless  strongly  emphasizes  the 
honor  of  the  title  "  friend  "  over  against  the  title  and 
position  of  "  servant."  "Ye  are  My  friends, — no  longer 
do  I  call  you  servants."  Abraham,  the  father  of  be- 
lievers, enjoyed  this  high  honor  of  being  called  the  friend 
of  God  (Jas.  ii.  23).  Once  before  the  Lord  had,  indeed, 
called  the  disciples  "  friends  "  (Luke  xii.  4),  but  not  with 
that  clearly  defined  distinction  from  "  servants,"  as  in 
this  passage.  And  certainly  in  the  narrative  of  the  Syn- 
optical Gospels  the  disciples  appear  throughout  in  the  at- 
titude of  servants.  But  now,  in  these  last  discourses,  when 
they  are  drawn  so  closely  to  the  heart  of  their  departing 
Master,  they  are  honored  with  the  position  of  "  friends." 
The  fact  that  the  fullest  and  most  confidential  com- 
munications are  passed  from  person  to  person,  is  every- 
where among  men  recognized  as  an  evidence  of  close 
friendship.  The  same  is  here  mentioned  by  the  Lord  to 
prove  the  intimate  relation  into  which  He  has  admitted 
the  disciples.  "  I  have  called  you  friends  ;  for  all  things 
that  I  heard  from  My  Father,  I  have  made  known  unto 
you."  They  are  to  have  a  full  insight  into  God's  plan  of 
redemption.  It  is,  of  course,  one  thing,  and  the  first 
thing,  that  the  Lord  should  communicate  to  the  disciples 
those  things  which  He  has  heard  from  the  Father.  But 
it  is  another  thing,  and  also  essential  to  the  continuation 
of  that  honored  and  privileged  position  of  friends,  that 
the  disciples  must  show  an  interest  in  these  revelations, 
and  strive  to  penetrate  into  an  ever  fuller  and  deeper 
understanding  of  God's  mysteries.  The  statement  that 
the  Lord  made  known  to  the  disciples  all  things  that  He 
heard  from  His  Father  is  not  in  conflict  with  what  we 
read   in  chapter  xvi.  12:     "I  have  yet  many  things  to 


214  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xv,  i6. 

say  unto  you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now."  His  com- 
munications to  them  were  necessarily  all  along  condi- 
tioned by  their  capacity  to  grasp  them  ;  and  a  most  im- 
portant part  of  these  communications  is  the  doctrine,  that 
the  Paraclete  will  come  to  take  the  Lord's  place  and  to 
guide  them  into  all  truth. 

Having  thus  magnified  the  privileged  position  of  His 
disciples,  the  Lord  adds  another  statement  which  will 
have  the  effect  to  keep  them  humble,  by  reminding  them 
of  the  origin  of  their  relation  as  friends.  There  is  no 
equality  here,  and  reciprocity  as  in  the  usual  relations  of 
human  friendship.  The  distance  is  too  great  between 
the  disciples  and  their  "  friend  "  whom  they  more  and 
more  learn  to  recognize  as  their  Lord  and  their  God. 
The  initiative  in  forming  this  friendship-relation  is  al- 
together with  Christ.  They  did  not  choose  Him  but  He 
chose  them.  How  vividly  did  John  remember  all  the 
details  of  that  first  call  !  (See  the  personal  reminiscences 
contained  in  John  i.  37-41.)  The  choosing  of  the 
Twelve  which  the  Lord  here  so  strongly  emphasizes  as 
His  own  act  and  decision,  was  a  very  solemn  and  impor- 
tant event  in  His  life.  "  He  went  out  into  the  mountain 
to  pray  ;  and  He  continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God  ; 
and  when  it  was  day.  He  called  His  disciples  "  (Luke  vi. 
12,  13).  And  how  much  patience,  condescension,  com- 
passion and  intercession  was  needed  through  those  three 
years  of  His  public  ministry,  to  keep  them  from  falling 
away,  to  hold  them  steadfast  in  their  relation  as  friends  ! 

Having  chosen  them,  the  Lord  "appointed  them  that 
they  should  go  and  bear  fruit  and  that  their  fruit  should 
abide."  They  must  "^c?."  Thus  far  they  stayed  with  Him 
and  clung  to  Him,  as  their  friend,  instructor  and  rector, 
whose  eyes  were  constantly  upon  them,  and  to  whom  they 
could  look  for  advice  and  oversight.     But  now  the  time 


XV.  i6.]  CHAPTER  XV.  215 

is  coming  when  they  themselves  must  go.  They  must 
face  a  hostile  world.  They  must  stand  up  in  mature  man- 
hood and  fight  their  own  battles.  They  go  forth,  no 
longer  servants,  who  receive  their  order  from  day  to  day, 
from  hour  to  hour,  but  friends,  who  understand  their 
friend  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father.  Of  course  this 
new  position  of  manly  responsibility  is  not  one  of  loose 
and  unbounded  independence  and  subjectivism.  They 
go,  but  they  keep  close  to  His  word  and  Spirit,  thus  abid- 
ing in  His  truth. 

Thus  going  they  shall  bear  fruit.  Their  lifework  is  not 
to  be  the  doing  of  certain  outward  things,  mechanically, 
here  a  little,  there  a  little  after  an  atomistic  fashion  ;  it  is 
bearing  fruit :  there  is  to  be  a  coherent,  organic  growth 
on  the  tree  of  their  Christian  character,  a  unit  of  un- 
broken development. 

And  the  fruit  which  they  bear  shall  abide.  There  is 
eternity  in  this  word.  Whatever  influence  may  have 
been  gained  by  prominent  men  in  the  history  of  the 
world,  lasting  possibly  through  many  centuries,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  ancient  greek  poets  and  philosophers,  all  this 
dwindles  into  nothing  before  this  word  of  Christ :  "  fruit 
that  shall  abide."  It  abideth  not  only  after  they  are 
gone,  or  after  their  generation  is  gone,  but  after  this 
present  world  is  gone.  It  is  fruit  following  them  into 
eternity  and  abiding  there  for  ever  and  ever  !  However 
lowly  his  outward  position  in  this  world  may  be,  every 
Christian  that  is  faithfully  working  out  his  salvation  with 
fear  and  trembling,  and  conscientiously  doing  his  duty 
towards  God's  kingdom,  is  bearing  fruit  for  eternity. 

3.    T/ie  World's  Hatred  agaijist  the  Diseiples  {x.v.  18-25). 

18-25.  If  the  world  hateth  you,  ye  know  that  it  hath  hated  me  before 
it  haled  yon.     If  ye  were  of  the  world,  tlie  world  would  love   its  own  :  but 


2l6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xv.  i8,  19. 

because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  chose  you  out  of  the  world,  there- 
fore the  world  hateth  you.  Remember  the  word  that  I  said  unto  you,  A 
servant  is  not  greater  than  his  lord.  If  they  persecuted  me,  they  will  also 
persecute  you  ;  if  they  kept  my  word,  they  will  keep  yours  also.  But  all 
these  things  will  they  do  unto  you  for  my  name's  sake,  because  they  know 
not  him  that  sent  me.  If  I  had  not  come  and  spoken  unto  them,  they  had 
not  had  sin  :  but  now  they  have  no  excuse  for  their  sin.  He  that  hateth 
me  hateth  my  Father  also.  If  I  had  not  done  among  them  the  works 
which  none  other  did,  they  had  not  had  sin:  but  now  have  they  both  seen 
and  hated  both  me  and  my  Father.  But  this  cometh  to  pass,  that  the  word 
may  be  fulfilled  that  is  written  in  their  law,  They  hated  me  without  a  cause 

In  the  preceding  verses  the  Lord  has  drawn  a  picture 
of  the  wondrous  love  which  has  its  heavenly  and  ever- 
lasting source  in  the  union  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  which  is  revealed  on  earth  through  the  Son,  which 
is  reflected  in  the  disciples :  the  Father  loves  the  Son  ; 
the  Son  loves  the  disciples,  whom  the  Father  has  given 
Him;  the  disciples  recognize  the  Father's  love  through 
the  Son.  But  there  is  a  strange  and  unexpected  anti- 
thesis to  this  manifestation  of  love.  These  beloved 
disciples  are  hated  by  the  world.  In  them  Christ  is 
hated  by  the  world,  and  in  Christ  the  Father  ;  a  con- 
tinuous revelation  of  hatred  from  below,  over  against 
the  revelation  of  love  from  above.  The  Lord  must 
speak  to  the  disciples  most  fully  and  directly  of  this 
hatred  of  the  world,  in  order  to  guard  them  against 
taking  offence  in  this  unexpected  experience  that  awaits 
them.  They  are  to  be  forewarned  and  forearmed.  They 
must  not  look  upon  it  "as  though  a  strange  thing 
happened  unto  them"  (i  Peter  iv.  12).  The  fact  that 
Christ's  own  people  are  hated  by  the  world,  must  not  be 
a  discouragement  for  the  disciples,  but  rather  the  reverse: 
it  proves  that  they  are  not  of  the  world,  but  of  Christ. 

It  would  indeed  be  a  bad  sign  for  the  disciples  if  the 
world  should  not  hate  them.  For  in  this  case  the  world 
would   recognize   "  its  own "   in  them,  and  this  worldly 


XV.  19,  20.]  CHAPTER  XV.  217 

spirit  would  be  agreeable  and  lovable  to  the  world.  We 
find  in  this  term  an  indication  of  that  deep-seated 
egotism  of  the  world,  which,  even  where  it  seems  to  love, 
does  not  really  and  truly  love  the  person,  but  only  its 
own  principles,  its  anti-godly,  anti-christian  spirit.  Herod 
and  Pilate  may  recognize  and  love  in  each  other  the 
common  aversion  and  opposition  to  God's  kingdom,  they 
may  thus  for  a  while  be  united  against  Christ,  but  at  the 
bottom  of  their  heart  they  are  bitterly  opposed  to  each 
other,  they  hate  each  other  personally. 

The  Lord  is  very  careful  in  defining  the  reason  why 
the  disciples  will  be  hated  by  the  world.  It  is  because 
they  are  not  of  the  world,  because  He  has  chosen  them 
out  of  the  world.  This  principle  must  be  most  conscien- 
tiously applied  to  individual  cases.  Wherever  Christians 
meet  with  the  enmity  and  hatred  of  the  world,  they  must 
carefully  examine  themselves,  whether  it  is  not  through 
their  own  faults,  sins  and  shortcomings  that  the  ani- 
mosity and  hostility  of  the  world  is  drawn  out  against 
them.  Certainly  "  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  and  Christian- 
ity as  such,  should  not  be  charged  with  what  is  due  to 
their  own  personal  perversity.  Peter,  by  his  own  sad 
experience,  had  learned  to  draw  this  line  of  distinction 
very  carefully.  "  Let  none  of  you  suffer  as  an  evildoer — 
but  if  a  man  suffer  as  a  Christian,  let  him  not  be  ashamed  ; 
but  let  him  glorify  God  in  this  name.  Blessed  are  ye  if 
ye  are  reproached  for  the  name  of  Christ"  (i  Peter  iv. 
14-15).  This  blessed  name,  the  open  confession  of 
Christ  as  the  Son  of  the  everlasting  God  and  the  Messiah, 
sent  by  His  Father,  must  be  the  true  and  real  cause  of  the 
world's  enmity  which  they  have  to  encounter. 

The  Lord  reminds  the  disciples  of  His  words,  spoken 
before,  that  the  servant  is  not  greater  than  his  Lord,  nor 
the  disciple  above  his  Master.     They  will  fare  no  better 


2i8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHX.  [xv.  20-22. 

than  He.  And  this  very  experience  of  the  hatred  of  the 
world  is  part  of  the  ''  perfecting  "  of  the  disciples  in  the 
hkeness  of  their  Master  (Luke  vi.  40).  It  is  certainly  to 
the  encouragement  of  the  disciples  that  these  words  are 
spoken.  As  surely  as  the  world  recognizes  in  them  the 
Master's  likeness,  so  surely  will  they  receive  the  very 
same  treatment  as  Christ.  If  it  persecuted  Him,  it  will 
also  persecute  the  disciples  ;  if  it  kept  His  word,  it  will 
keep  theirs  also.  But  did  the  world  ever  keep  His  word? 
What  is  the  evidence  on  this  point  as  the  disciples  had  it 
before  their  eyes  ?  Did  not  the  Lord  Himself  declare  to 
His  enemies  :  "Ye  do  not  understand  My  speech  even 
because  ye  cannot  hear  My  word  "  (John  viii.  43).  Must 
we  then  take  this  reference  of  Christ  to  the  keeping  of 
His  word  as  a  bitter  irony,  which  meant  to  state  the  very 
opposite,  namely  a  sharp  complaint  that  the  world,  as 
world,  never  received  and  kept  His  word,  and  that  the 
disciples  must  not  expect  anything  better  ?  Some  com- 
mentators, however,  still  hold  that  these  words  of  the 
Lord  are  to  be  taken  in  their  direct,  literal  meaning,  that 
after  all  there  were  some  men  in  the  midst  of  an  un- 
believing world,  who  did  receive  and  keep  His  word,  and 
that  the  disciples  also  might  expect  the  same  result  from 
their  preaching  and  teaching.  While  this  is  certainly 
true  and  fully  borne  out  by  the  testimony  of  the  Book  of 
the  Acts,  we  might  still  question  whether  this  idea  would, 
in  this  connection,  be  in  its  proper  place. 

With  peculiar  emphasis  the  Lord  brings  out  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  world  for  its  refusal  to  receive  His 
word.  If  He  had  not  spoken, —  if  He  had  not  done 
among  them  the  things  which  none  other  did,  they  had 
not  had  sin  ;  but  now  they  are  without  excuse.  The 
world  cannot  possibly  plead  ignorance.  They  know  all 
about   Jesus,  who  has  testified  before    their    ears    again 


XV.  22-25-]  CHAPTER  XV.  219 

and  again  concerning  His  divine  character  and  mission. 
But  they  hardened  themselves  against  His  testimony  in 
the  fixed  determination  not  to  yield  to  Him,  not  to  ac- 
cept His  word;  thus  showing  their  opposition  and  hatred 
against  Him  and  the  Father  who  sent  Him.  And  in  ad- 
dition to  the  testimony  of  His  words  there  is  that  of  His 
works,  done  among  them,  before  their  eyes,  undeniable 
facts,  which  proved  too  strong  even  for  their  searching 
criticism,  as  in  the  case  of  the  man  that  was  born  blind 
(John  ix.).  But  even  this  testimony  is  lost  on  them. 
What  a  monstrous  conclusion,  in  conflict  with  logic  and 
philosophy,  as  well  as  religion.  They  have  seen  His 
works  and  seen  Him  in  those  works,  the  exponent  of  the 
Father's  love  for  our  fallen  and  dying  race,  and — they 
hate  both  Him  and  the  Father!  This  is  that  great  "  new 
sin,"  as  Luther  calls  it,  "  the  sin  against  His  word  "  and 
testimony,  for  which  there  is  absolutely  no  excuse. 

But  this  very  opposition  is  to  be  understood  as  a  direct 
sign  and  evidence  of  Christ's  Messianic  character  and  pos- 
ition. It  was  all  foreseen  and  foretold  by  the  spirit  of 
prophecy.  The  sixty-ninth  Psalm,  to  which  the  Lord 
here  refers,  was  commonly  accepted  as  a  Messianic  psalm 
by  the  Jewish  scholars  in  the  days  of  our  Lord.  It  is 
one  of  the  psalms  most  frequently  quoted  in  the  New 
Testament,  particularly  in  connection  with  the  passion 
of  the  Lord.  Being  thus  assured  from  the  word  of  God, 
in  the  Old  Testament,  concerning  the  enmity  of  the  world 
against  the  Messiah,  the  disciples  are  sufficiently  fortified 
against  the  danger  of  taking  offence  in  this  experience. 
The  hatred  of  the  world  appears  in  the  light  of  God's 
word,  as  a  testimony  both  for  the  Messiah  and  for  His 
disciples:  No  true  Christ  without  the  hatred  of  the 
world  ;  no  true  Christians  without  the  hatred  of  the 
world. 


CHAPTER     XVI. 
V.     New  Parting  Discourse — Continued. 
4.  Jesus  Sending  the  Spirit  (xv.  26 — xvi.  15). 

XV.  26-27.  But  when  the  Comforter  is  come,  whom  I  will  send  unto 
you  from  the  Father,  even  the  Spirit  of  truth,  which  proceedeth  from  the 
Father,  he  shall  bear  witness  of  me :  and  ye  also  bear  witness,  because  ye 
have  been  with  me  from  the  beginning. 

XVI.  i-i  5.  These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  ye  should  not  be 
made  to  stumble.  They  shall  put  you  out  of  the  synagogues  :  yea,  the  hour 
Cometh,  that  whosoever  killeth  you  shall  think  that  he  offereth  service 
unto  God.  And  these  things  will  they  do,  because  they  have  not  known 
the  Father,  nor  me.  But  these  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  when 
their  hour  is  come,  ye  may  remember  them,  how  that  I  told  you.  And 
these  things  I  said  not  unto  you  from  the  beginning,  because  I  was  with 
you.  But  now  I  go  unto  him  that  sent  me;  and  none  of  you  asketh  me, 
Whither  goest  thou  ?  But  because  I  have  spoken  these  things  unto  you, 
sorrow  hath  filled  your  heart.  Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth  ;  It  is  ex- 
pedient for  you  that  I  go  away :  for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not 
ome  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  go,  I  will  send  him  unto  you.  And  he,  when  he  is 
come,  will  convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of 
j  udgement :  of  sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me ;  of  righteousness,  because 
I  go  to  the  Father,  and  ye  behold  me  no  more;  of  judgement,  because  the 
prince  of  this  world  hath  been  judged.  I  have  yet  many  things  to  say  unto 
you,  but  ye  cannot  bear  them  now.  Howbeit  when  he,  the  Spirit  of  truth, 
is  come,  he  shall  guide  you  into  all  the  truth  :  for  he  shall  not  speak  from 
himself;  but  what  things  soever  he  shall  hear,  these  shall  he  speak  :  and  he 
shall  declare  unto  you  the  things  that  are  to  come.  He  shall  glorify  me  : 
for  he  shall  take  of  mine,  and  shall  declare  //  unto  you.  All  things  whatso- 
ever the  Feather  hath  are  mine :  therefore  said  I,  that  he  taketh  of  mine, 
and  shall  declare  it  unto  you. 

The   Lord    Himself  departing,  and  the  hatred  of   the 
world  impending,  what  could   be  more  welcome  to  the 

220 


XV.  26,  27.]         ^  CHAPTER  XVT.  221 

disciples  at  this  point  than  the  renewed  promise  of  the 
coming  of  the  Paraclete  (advocate,  comforter)  of  whom 
the  Son  had  spoken  before  ?  Two  distinct  statements 
are  made  concerning  this  "  Spirit  of  Truth."  First :  The 
Lord  "will  send  Him  unto  the  disciples  from  the 
Father."  Second:  "  He  proceedeth  from  the  Father." 
These  two  statements  are  not  identical.  The  one  is  in 
the  future  tense,  referring  to  the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit 
on  the  approaching  day  of  Pentecost.  The  other  is  in 
the  present  tense,  referring  to  the  never-changing  present 
of  Eternity  ;  the  Spirit's  relation  to  the  Father  being 
described  as  an  everlasting  proceeding  from  the  Father. 
As  the  Father  is  included  in  the  act  of  sending  the  Spirit 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  Son  is  not  excluded  in  the 
everlasting  "  proceeding "  of  the  Spirit.  The  Nicene 
creed  rightly  says  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  "  Who  proceedeth 
from  the  Father  and  the  Son,"  though  there  is  no  direct 
literal  reference  to  the  latter  in  the  passage  here  be- 
fore us. 

The  Holy  Spirit  shall  "  bear  witness  "  of  Christ, — an- 
other distinctly /^rj't';^/ activity  ascribed  to  Him.  He 
is  to  be  a  witness  of  Christ  in  the  first  place  to  the  apos- 
tles themselves.  In  the  face  of  the  hatred  of  the  world, 
the  disciples  are  to  be  strengthened  and  comforted  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  assuring  them,  that  in  spite  of  the  hostility 
of  the  world,  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Way  and  the  Truth 
and  the  Life.  It  is  through  this  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  the  disciples  themselves  come  to  that  full  and 
clear  understanding  of  Christ,  and  that  bold  and  correct 
utterance,  which  makes  them  true  witnesses  of  the  cruci- 
fied and  risen  Lord.  By  His  inspiration  their  testimony 
is  made  sure  and  infallible.  But  there  is  a  clear  distinc- 
tion between  two  kinds  of  testimony  in  these  words  of  the 
Lord.     The  Spirit  testifies,  and  the  apostles  testify.     And 


222  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.      [xv.  27.   xvi.  i,  2. 

they  hold  this  position  as  witnesses  even  now,  before  the 
day  of  Pentecost.  Before  their  preaching  went  forth  into 
the  world,  before  their  epistles  and  gospels  were  written, 
the  disciples  were  called  and  in  some  measure  enabled  to 
be  the  witnesses  of  the  Lord.  "  That  which  we  have  heard, 
that  which  we  have  seen  with  our  eyes,  that  which  we 
beheld  and  our  hands  handled — declare  we  unto  you  " 
(i  John  i.  i).  "We  were  eye-witnesses  of  His  majesty. 
We  ourselves  heard  the  voice  come  out  of  heaven,  when 
we  were  with  Him  on  the  holy  mount  "  (2  Peter  i.  16-18). 
Two  features  then  are  beautifully  and  inseparably  blend- 
ing in  the  testimony  of  the  apostles :  the  human  factor 
and  the  divine ;  their  knowledge  of  Christ  as  eye-wit- 
nesses of  His  life,  and  their  knowledge  of  Christ  through 
the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  mere  men  the 
apostles  are  credible  witnesses,  being  plain,  honest,  con- 
scientious men,  who  simply  report  what  they  have  seen 
and  heard.  And  as  the  inspired  organs  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  they  have  a  right  to  insist  that  their  message  be 
accepted  "  not  as  the  word  of  men,  but  as  it  is  in  truth, 
the  word  of  God  "  (i  Thess.  ii.  13). 

XVI.  I.  The  aim  of  the  Lord  in  all  these  statements 
is,  that  the  disciples  should  not  be  made  to  "  stumble," 
when  these  violent  persecutions  which  are  here  predicted, 
should  fall  upon  them.  It  was  indeed  a  terrible  thought 
for  the  sincere  and  faithful  Israelite,  to  be  put  out  of  the 
synagogue,  as  "the  Jews  had  agreed  already  that  if  any 
man  did  confess  that  He  was  Christ,  he  should  be  put  out 
of  the  synagogue"  (John  ix.  22).  This  was  the  very 
thing  that  kept  many  of  the  chief  rulers  from  confessing 
Him  "lest  they  should  be  put  out  of  the  synagogue  by 
the  Pharisees"  (John  xii.  42).  But  not  only  excommuni- 
cation but  proscription  and  death  itself  awaited  them. 
And,    worst   of  all,   the   fanaticism    of  their   persecutors 


XVI.  2-6.]  CHAPTER  XVI.     -  223 

glories  in  these  acts  of  violence  against  the  Christians  as 
a  veritable  "  service  unto  God,"  though  the  Lord  pro- 
tests that  they  arise  from  not  knowing  the  Father  nor 
the  Son.i 

On  former  occasions  the  Lord  had  indeed  already  re- 
ferred to  such  experiences  of  His  disciples.  See  Matt, 
v.  10-12;  X.  17-21  ff.,  36;  Luke  vi.  22;  xii.  ii  ff.  But 
the  real  principle  of  all  these  persecutions  had  never  be- 
fore been  so  fully  declared,  namely,  the  hatred  of  the 
world  against  God  Himself. 

In  view  of  all  these  revelations  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
hearts  of  the  disciples  should  be  filled  with  sorrow  on 
account  of  the  departure  of  their  Lord.  But  the  full 
meaning,  the  aim  and  end  of  this  departure  (the 
"whither?")  was  not  yet  understood  by  them.  And 
thus  it  could  happen,  that  the  very  same  words  which  for 
centuries  have  been  an  inexhaustible  fountain  of  conso- 
lation and  joy  for  thousands  of  believers,  filled  the  hear- 
ers with  sorrow  when  they  were  first  spoken.  The  dis- 
ciples were  overwhelmed  with  the  Lord's  going  away 
frojn  them;  but  Wis  going  to  the  Father  was  nothing  to 
them.  For  this  reason  the  Lord  emphasizes  the 
"Whither?"  They  ought  to  enquire  into  the  aim  and 
end  of  His  way,  and  they  would  find  that  His  going  to 
the  Father  means  going  to  a  state  of  exaltation,  to  heav- 
enly glory. 

The  Lord  then  proceeds  to  unfold  before  the  disciples 

1  Luther,  the  faithful  and  devoted  child  of  the  Mediaeval  Church, tasted  this 
bitter  cup  to  the  very  dregs.  His  remark  on  this  passage  "  they  will  sing 
a  Te  Deum  laudamus  over  these  things  "  proved  to  be  an  exact  prophecy 
with  regard  to  the  massacre  of  .St.  Bartholomew,  Aug.  24,  1572.  When  the 
news  of  this  horror  reached  Rome,  the  Pope,  attended  by  the  Cardinals 
and  other  ecclesiastical  dignitaries,  went  in  long  procession  to  the  Church 
of  .St.  Louis,  where  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine  chanted  a  Te  Deum.  (See 
Henry  White  :  The  Massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew,  p.  466.) 


224  ^-^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  7-9. 

the  blessings  resulting  from  His  departure.  "  If  I  go  not 
away  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  go 
I  will  send  Him  unto  you."  Only  after  the  Lord  has 
been  glorified  by  His  death  and  resurrection  can  the 
Spirit  come  (John  vii.  39).  And  only  when  they  are 
deprived  of  the  visible,  bodily  presence  of  the  Lord  will 
the  apostles  themselves  be  in  a  proper  condition  to  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  be  benefited  by  His  great 
deepening  work  in  their  souls.  Thus  far  outward,  visible 
things  and  material  conceptions  of  God's  kingdom  had 
engrossed  their  minds,  but  now  they  will  become  truly 
spiritual. 

The  work  of  the  Paraclete  will  have  two  objects  :  the 
world  and  the  hearts  of  the  disciples.  The  world  will  be 
convicted  by  Him  in  respect  of  sin  and  of  righteousness 
and  of  judgment.  In  whatever  form  and  in  whatever 
circles  "  the  world  "  may  be  found,  it  will  be  thus  at- 
tacked, reproved,  convicted  by  the  testimony  of  the 
Spirit,  whether  it  will  submit  to  it  by  repentance  and 
faith,  or  harden  itself  against  it.  Of  Sin  the  world  will 
be  convicted,  "  because  they  believe  not  on  Christ''  This 
is  indeed  a  new  definition  of  sin,  not  recognized  in  the 
world.  At  the  very  best  "the  world"  will  count  as  sinful 
the  things  forbidden  in  the  second  table  of  the  decalogue. 
The  sphere  of  "  believing  "  or  not  believing  is  generally 
regarded  by  the  world  as  a  matter  of  freedom  and  in- 
difference, for  which  men  ought  not  to  be  held  morally 
responsible.  But  now,  under  this  new  testimony  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  refusal  to  accept  Christ  and  to  believe 
in  Him  is  to  be  considered  the  one  great  culminating  sin 
above  all  others.  All  the  sin  of  the  world,  however 
heinous  the  transgression  of  the  divine  law  may  be,  can 
be  overcome  and  wiped  out,  men  can  be  delivered  from 
its  guilt,  its  power  and  condemnation  through  God's  grace 


XVI.  lo.]  CHAPTER  XVI. 


225 


in  Christ.  But  where  Christ  is  refused,  men  will  remain 
in  their  sin,  in  spite  of  the  Gospel,  and  thus  bring  upon 
themselves  everlasting  ruin.  Of  righteousness  the  world 
is  to  be  convicted  "  because  I  go  to  the  Father,  and  ye  be- 
hold Me  no  more''  This  also  is  a  new  and  .startling  defi- 
nition. We  know  what  an  important  place  the  idea  of 
"  righteousness  "  held  in  the  teaching  of  the  Jewish 
doctors,  and  in  the  practice  of  the  chief  rulers,  scribes 
and  Pharisees,  at  the  time  of  Christ's  public  life  on  earth. 
We  also  know  how  severely  Christ  condemned  "  the 
righteousness  of  the  Pharisees  and  scribes"  (Matt.  v.  20; 
Matt.  vi. ;  Matt,  xxiii. ;  Luke  xviii.  9).  But  now,  to  find 
out  what  righteousness  is,  the  eyes  of  the  world  are 
directed  to  that  same  Christ,  in  whom  they  would  not 
believe,  whom  they  cast  out  and  rejected,  but  who  went 
to  the  Father,  through  the  shame  of  the  cross  to  the 
glory  of  resurrection  and  ascension.  "  The  Holy  and 
Righteous  One  whom  the  Jews  denied,  the  Prince  of  Life 
whom  they  killed,  was  raised  from  the  dead  "  (Acts  iii. 
14,  15).  Thus  He  was  "justified  in  the  Spirit  "  (i  Tim. 
iii.  16),  "  declared  to  be  the  Son  of  God  with  power,  ac- 
cording to  the  spirit  of  holiness,  by  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead  "  (Rom.  i.  4).  Christ's  going  to  the  Father  im- 
plies then,  in  the  first  place.  His  own  personal  vindication 
and  justification,  as  the  One  who  knew  no  sin,  who  did 
not  suffer  and  die  for  His  own  sin.  But  He  was  made 
sin  on  our  behalf,  that  we  might  become  the  righteous- 
ness of  God  in  Him  (2  Cor.  v.  21).  Our  righteousness 
then  is,  to  "  believe  on  Him  that  raised  Jesus  our  Lord 
from  the  dead,  who  was  delivered  up  for  our  trespasses, 
and  was  raised  for  our  justification  "  (Rom.  iv.  24,  25). 
Thus  Christ's  going  to  the  Father  establishes  not  only 
His  own  personal  vindication,  but  at  the  same  time  our 
justification  before  God  through  faith  in  the  crucified 
15 


226  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  i  r-14. 

and  risen  Saviour.  It  is  a  righteousness  not  of  works, 
but  of  faith,  not  of  seeing,  but  of  beHeving  on  Him  who 
went  to  the  Father  through  His  passion,  death  and  glori- 
fication. Of  judgment  the  world  is  to  be  convicted  by 
the  Spirit  of  truth,  "  because  the  prince  of  this  ivorld  hath 
been  Judged.'"  In  the  passion  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ 
there  was  indeed  an  act  of  judgment  passed  before  the 
eyes  of  the  world.  Jesus  of  Nazareth  seemed  to  be 
judged  and  cast  out  as  a  criminal,  even  as  the  great  Plato 
divined  in  his  famous  description  of  the  treatment  of  the 
"  righteous  "  one,  if  he  should  ever  appear  in  this  world. ^ 
But  in  reality  it  is  not  Christ,  the  Prince  of  Life,  who  is 
judged,  but  the  Prince  of  this  world.  His  power  is 
broken.  The  serpent's  head  is  bruised.  His  cause  is 
lost.  With  him  the  world  is  doomed.  The  final  and 
eternal  judgment  awaits  it,  and  every  one  will  fall  under 
it  who  does  not  find  delivery  from  his  sin  in  the  right- 
eousness of  Christ. 

Besides  this  work  of  convicting  the  world  of  sin,  right- 
eousness and  judgment,  the  Paraclete  finds  a  great  deal 
to  do  in  the  hearts  of  the  believing  disciples  :  He  shall 
guide  them  into  all  truth.  He  shall  glorify  Christ  in  their 
hearts.  There  are  yet  many  things  the  Lord  has  to  say 
to  the  disciples,  but  they  cannot  bear  them  now.  From 
different  sides  the  enemies  of  truth  have  tried  to  shield 
themselves    behind   these   words.      Here    the    Romanists 

1  Plato,  De  republ.  II,,  361  ff.  in  a  passage  which  has  often  been  quoted 
by  ancient  and  modern  writers  on  evidences  of  Christianity,  says  :  "  First 
of  all  he  must  be  deprived  of  his  good  narne, — next,  of  all  his  possessions, 
except  righteousness;  he  must  be  brought  into  conflict  with  his  rulers,  so 
that  he  is  actually  treated  as  the  most  unrighteous,  though  he  has  done 
nothing  unrighteous  whatsoever.  Such  a  righteous  one  would  be  bound, 
scourged  and  his  eyes  put  out,  and  having  endured  all  these  tortures,  he 
would  be  nailed  to  the  pole,  so  that  it  would  be  manifest  that  he  was 
anxious  not  to  appear  as  righteous,  but  to  be  so  in  reality." 


XVI.  12-15]  CHAPTER  XVI.  227 

seek  to  establish  the  authority  of  their  innumerable  tradi- 
tions, decrees  and  decisions  set  up  by  their  councils  and 
the  "  infallible  "  bishop  of  Rome.  But  if  those  things 
are  the  truth  that  were  taught  in  the  councils  of  the 
mediaeval  church,  "  Then,"  says  Luther,  "  the  apostles 
have  never  come  into  possession  of  the  full  truth."  On 
the  other  hand,  modern  Rationalism  has  claimed  this 
passage  in  favor  of  what  it  calls  "  a  progressive  Chris- 
tianity." The  gospel  of  Christ,  with  the  plain  facts  of 
the  Apostles'  Creed,  it  is  said,  must  be  developed  into  the 
"  gospel  of  the  Spirit,"  meaning  thereby  the  spirit  of  the 
time,  to  which,  one  after  another,  the  old  truths  are  to 
be  sacrificed,  leaving  nothing  but  a  sort  of  molluscous 
Christianity,  without  the  strong  backbone  of  the  great 
Gospel-facts. 

Over  against  such  views  we  hold  that  the  Spirit  did 
'■'guide  the  disciples  into  all  truth  "  and  that  this  word  of 
our  Lord  assures  to  us  both  the  credibility  and  the  suffi- 
ciency of  the  apostolic  testimony  in  the  canon  of  the 
New  Testament.  Moreover  the  Lord  lays  down  the 
standard,  by  which  whatever  claims  to  be  the  Spirit's 
witnessing  must  be  tested  :  "  He  shall  not  speak  of  Him- 
self;  He  shall  take  of  Mine  ;  He  shall  glorify  Me.''  Even 
as  the  Son  Himself  did  not  speak  of  His  own,  but  re- 
vealed what  He  had  from  the  Father,  so  the  Spirit  con- 
tinues that  same  revelation  of  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
And  as  the  Spirit  is  a  spirit  of  prophecy,  it  is  naturally 
His  province  to  "  declare  the  things  that  are  to  conic y 
Though  the  Lord  Himself,  especially  in  His  eschatological 
discourses  (Matt.  xxiv.  and  xxv.)  had  dwelt  on  the  last 
things,  still  there  were  many  points  concerning  the  con- 
summation of  Christ's  kingdom,  which  were  to  be  fully 
brought  out  by  the  Apostles,  as  taught  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.     (See  i  Thess.  iv.  13  ;  2  Thess.  ii.  1-12  ;  Rom.  xi. 


228  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  15. 

25,  26;  I  Cor.  XV.  50;  2  Peter  iii.  10  and  the  Book  of 
Revelation.)  The  passage  closes  with  one  of  the  most 
direct  and  comprehensive  testimonies  as  to  the  divinity 
of  Christ  and  His  co-equality  with  the  Father,  whose 
throne  and  whose  glory  belong  likewise  to  the  Son,  in 
whom  dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily 
(Col.  ii.  9).  Nothing  less  than  this  is  contained  in  this 
statement  :  "  All  tilings,  ivJiatsocvcr  the  Father  hath,  are 
itiiiie." 

5.  Last  Words  to  the  Disciples  (xvi.  16-33). 

16-33.  A  little  while,  and  ye  behold  me  no  more;  and  again  a  little 
while,  and  ye  shall  see  me.  Some  of  his  disciples  therefore  said  one  to 
another,  What  is  this  that  he  saith  unto  us,  A  little  while,  and  ye  behold 
me  not ;  and  again  a  little  wiiile,  and  ye  shall  see  me  :  and,  Because  I  go  to 
the  Father  .?  They  said  therefore,  What  is  this  that  he  saith,  A  little 
while  .'  We  know  not  what  he  saith.  Jesus  perceived  that  they  were 
desirous  to  ask  him,  and  he  said  unto  them.  Do  ye  inquire  among  your- 
selves concerning  this,  that  I  said,  A  little  while,  and  ye  behold  me  not, 
and  again  a  little  while,  and  ye  shall  see  me  ?  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  that  ye  shall  weep  and  lament,  but  the  world  shall  rejoice :  ye  shall  be 
sorrowful,  but  your  sorrow  shall  be  turned  into  joy.  A  woman  when  she 
is  in  travail  hath  sorrow,  because  her  hour  is  come  :  but  when  she  is  deliv- 
ered of  the  child,  she  remembereth  no  more  the  anguish,  for  the  joy  that 
a  man  is  born  into  the  world.  And  ye  therefore  now  have  sorrow  :  but  I 
will  see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice,  and  your  joy  no  one  taketh 
away  from  you.  And  in  that  day  ye  shall  ask  me  nothing.  Verily,  venly, 
I  say  unto  you.  If  ye  shall  ask  anything  of  the  Father,  he  will  ^ive  it  you 
in  my  name.  Hitherto  have  ye  asked  nothing  in  my  name  :  ask,  and  ye 
shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  fulfilled. 

These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you  in  proverbs :  the  hour  cometh, 
when  I  shall  no  more  speak  unto  you  in  proverbs,  but  shall  tell  you  plainly 
of  the  Father.  In  that  day  ye  shall  ask  in  my  name  :  and  I  say  not  unto 
you,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  you  ;  fen"  the  Father  himself  loveth  you, 
because  ye  have  loved  me,  and  have  believed  that  I  came  forth  from  the 
Father.  I  came  out  from  the  Father,  and  am  come  into  the  world  :  again, 
I  leave  the  world,  and  go  unto  the  Father.  His  disciples  say,  Lo,  now 
speakest  thou  plainly,  and  speakest  no  proverb.  Now  know  we  that  thou 
knowest  all  things,  and  needest  not  that  any  man  should  ask  thee  :  by  this 
we  believe  that  thou  camest  forth  from  God.     Jesus  answered  them.  Do  ye 


XVI.  1 6-20.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  229 

now  believe  ?  Behold,  the  hour  cometh,  yea,  is  come,  that  ye  shall  be 
scattered,  every  man  to  his  own,  and  shall  leave  me  alone:  and_j'^/Iam 
not  alone,  because  the  Father  is  with  me.  These  things  have  I  spoken 
unto  you,  that  in  me  ye  may  have  peace.  In  the  w^orld  ye  have  tribula- 
tion ;  but  be  of  good  cheer ;  I  have  overcome  the  world. 


The  first  question  in  the  consideration  of  this  passage 
is,  what  is  implied  in  the  promise  of  Christ  to  the  disci- 
ples :  "  Ye  shall  see  Me  ?  "  Is  it  His  return  after  His  resur- 
rection ?  or  His  coming  through  the  Paraclete  on  Pente- 
cost ?  or  His  second  Advent  to  judge  the  quick  and  the 
dead?  or  are  we  to  combine  all  these  three  dates,  in  order 
to  do  full  justice  to  this  promise  of  the  Lord  ?  There 
can  hardly  be  any  doubt  that  with  the  words  :  "  A  little 
while  and  ye  behold  Me  no  more  "  the  Lord  refers  to  His 
imminent  death.  And  consequently  it  seems  most  nat- 
ural and  in  keeping  with  the  context  to  think  of  the  re-ap- 
pearance of  the  risen  Lord  when  He  says:  "And  again 
a  little  while  and  ye  shall  see  Me."  The  "  little  while  " 
before  His  departure  and  "  the  little  while  "  between 
His  departure  and  His  re-appearance  would  thus  be  most 
evenly  balanced. 

These  words  of  the  Lord,  however,  were  evidently  a 
great  mystery  to  the  disciples.  Their  perplexity  is  graph- 
ically described  in  verses  17,  18,  culminating  in  the  con- 
fession :  "  We  know  not  what  He  saith."  Most  tenderly 
does  the  Lord  meet  them  in  their  difficulty  by  repeating 
the  very  question  that  agitates  their  hearts.  And  yet  in 
the  following  argument  He  does  not  really  and  fully 
enter  upon  an  explanation  of  the  "  little  while,"  but  He 
gives  them  a  graphic  description  of  the  wonderful  change 
which  those  two  experiences  represent  :  first  not  behold- 
ing Him,  and  then  seeing  Him  again.  It  is  a  change 
from  weeping  and  lamenting,  in  sorrow  over  the  beloved 
dead,  into  jo}'.     The  antagonism   between   the  disciples 


230  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  20,  21. 

and  the  world  which  has  before  been  described  in  the 
hatred  and  persecution  of  the  disciples,  is  once  more  mani- 
fested in  this  connection  :  The  world  rejoicing  and  the 
disciples  sorrowful,  and  vice  versa.  These  two  different 
impressions  and  experiences  on  the  part  of  the  world  and 
the  disciples  are  not  simply  simultaneous  in  time,  but 
they  are  based  on  one  and  the  same  fact.  The  very 
same  thing  that  makes  the  world  rejoice,  makes  the  disci- 
ples lament  :  The  departure  of  the  Lord,  His  death  and 
disappearance.  Not  to  see  Christ,  is  the  joy  of  the 
world  and  the  sorrow  of  the  disciples.  The  world  is  glad 
that  He  is  dead  and  buried  out  of  sight.  But  on  Easter 
morning  the  scales  are  turned.  The  empty  tomb  be- 
comes the  joy  of  the  disciples,  and  the  terror  of  the 
world. 

Again  :  the  great  change  from  sorrow  into  joy  is  not 
simply  a  new  and  opposite  experience  following  the  first 
one.  There  is  the  closest  connection  between  the  sorrow 
that  precedes  and  the  joy  that  follows.  It  is  not  only  one 
after  another,  but  one  out  of  the  other.  Their  sorrow 
itself  shall  be  turned  into  joy — "  as  the  water  was  turned 
into  wine,"  says  Bengel,  so  that  the  very  thing  that  was 
first  the  cause  of  sorrow  and  lamentation,  shall  be  recog- 
nized by  them  as  a  wonderful  source  of  joy  and  happi- 
ness. When  the  disciples  shall  have  learned  to  under- 
stand the  full  meaning  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  the  very 
passion  and  death  of  the  Lord  will  be  to  them  the  object 
of  boundless  joy  and  glorying  (Gal.  vi.  14).  "  Worthy  is 
the  Lamb  that  hath  been  slain  to  receive  the  power,  and 
riches,  and  wisdom,  and  might,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and 
blessing"  (Rev.  v.  12). 

The  most  realistic  illustration  not  only  of  this  sudden 
transition  from  sorrow  to  joy,  but  of  the  fact  that  the 
woe  itself  is  turned  into  joy,  is  given  in  the  figure  of  the 


XVI.  21,  22.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  231 

woman  in  travail.  Out  of  the  hour  of  anguish,  peril  and 
pain  comes  the  great  joy,  "  that  a  man  is  born  into  the 
world."  Though  with  these  words  the  Lord  meant  to 
illustrate  the  experience  of  the  disciples  only,  there  is  a 
striking  parallelism  between  His  own  experience  and 
theirs  from  Good  Friday  to  Easter  morning.  The  very 
agony  through  which  He  passed  in  the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane  and  on  the  cross  of  Calvary  when  His  hour  had 
come,  brought  into  life  that  glorious  victory  of  Easter 
morning,  by  which  He  triumphed  over  sin,  death  and  the 
devil.  Thus  the  Lord's  own  anguish  was  turned  into 
joy.  But  the  real  and  direct  application  of  this  figure  is 
to  the  disciples.  To  them  those  dark  hours  of  the  pas- 
sion of  their  Lord,  brought  the  most  terrible  experience  of 
their  life.  Never  before  were  the  apostles  so  overwhelmed 
with  the  consciousness  of  their  unworthiness,  never  before 
did  they  suffer  such  bitter  pangs  of  despair  and  of  judg- 
ment over  their  sin,  as  in  the  night  when  the  Lord  was 
betrayed,  when  they  all  forsook  Him,  when  Peter  denied 
Him.  And  never  was  the  healing,  quickening  grace  of 
their  Lord  and  Saviour  greater  before  their  eyes,  than 
when  He  met  them  with  the  Easter-greeting  of  forgive- 
ness and  reconciliation  :  Peace  be  with  you  !  Out  of 
that  deep  sorrow  of  repentance  came  that  grateful,  joy- 
ful faith,  which  grasped  the  risen  Saviour,  and  found  in 
Him,  who  had  been  delivered  up  for  their  sins,  a  full  and 
abiding  justification,  the  very  righteousness  of  God 
(Rom.  iv.  25  ;  2  Cor.  v.  21). 

This  great  change  from  sorrow  to  joy  is  altogether  due  to 
the  Lord.  He  takes  the  initiative  :  "  I  zvill  sec  you  again^ 
His  promise  had  been  that  in  Galilee  He  would  appear 
again  to  His  disciples  and  gather  anew  His  scattered 
flock.  But  after  the  great  victory  is  won,  the  good  Shep- 
herd cannot  wait  so  long.      He  looks  after  His  distressed 


232  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  22,  23. 

disciples^  on  the  very  day  of  His  resurrection,  in  the  City 
of  Jerusalem.  And  the  joy  He  brings  them  is  of  a  two- 
fold character.  It  is  a  joy  for  their  hearts  and  it  is  an 
imperishable  joy  which  no  one  taketh  away  from  them. 
This  cannot  be  said  of  any  of  the  so-called  joys  of  the 
world.  They  leave  the  very  centre  of  the  human  person- 
ality, the  heart,  unhappy  and  dissatisfied.  But  the  dis- 
ciples have  the  promise,  that  their  heart  shall  rejoice  and 
that  it  shall  be  a  lasting  joy  in  an  "  inheritance  incor- 
ruptible and  undefiled  and  that  fadeth  not  away,"  "  a  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  "  (i  Pet.  i.  4,  6,  8).  There 
is  a  special  comfort  and  encouragement  in  this  assurance 
of  the  Lord.  With  the  antagonism  existing  between  the 
disciples  and  the  world,  they  must  be  prepared  to  have 
their  joy  meet  with  the  interference  and  opposition  of 
the  world.  It  is  an  offence  to  the  world  and  if  it  only 
could,  the  world  would  fain  rob  them  of  their  joy.  But 
no  one  shall  take  it  away  from  them. 

Two  important  features  are  mentioned  by  the  Lord  as 
characteristics  of  that  perfect  joy  which  He  promises  to 
His  disciples.  In  the  first  place:  a  clear  insight  into  the 
whole  plan  of  salvation,  as  it  will  be  understood  by  them 
in  the  light  of  Christ's  resurrection,  making  it  unnecessary 
for  them  to  ask  any  more  of  such  questions  as  they  had 
hitherto  been  addressing  to  the  Lord.  And  then  :  an 
open  access  to  the  throne  of  the  Father,  in  the  name  of 
the  Son,  that  is,  such  privileges  in  their  prayers  as  the 
beloved  children,  as  they  have  never  enjoyed  before. 
This  latter  point  is  introduced  by  the  Lord  in  that  solemn 
"  Verily,  Verily "  (ver.  23)  which  always  indicates  a 
matter  of  particularly  grave  importance  or  of  special  dif- 
ficulty for  the  understanding  of  the  disciples.     There  had, 

^  Remember  also  the  saving  look  Christ  gave  to  Peter  after  his  denial 
(Luke  xxii.  61). 


XVI.  23,  24-]  CHAPTER  XVI.  233 

indeed,  been  no  lack  of  references  to  prayer  in  the  teach- 
ings of  the  Lord  up  to  this  point.  From  the  very  begin- 
ning of  His  pubHc  utterances  the  Lord  had  dwelt  on  the 
necessity  and  the  blessings  of  prayer  and  the  assurance 
of  an  answer  from  the  heavenly  Father.  The  Sermon  on 
the  Mount  already  contains  tiie  model  prayer  for  the 
disciples,  "  the  Lord's  Prayer  "  (Matt.  vi.  9-13),  as  well  as 
those  positive  and  direct  promises:  Every  one  that 
asketh,  receiveth  ;  and  he  that  seeketh  findeth;  and  to 
him  that  knocketh  it  shall  be  opened  (Matt.  vii.  7-9). 
New  features  are  added  to  these  in  Luke  xi.  1-13  ;  Luke 
xviii.  1-8;  Matt,  xviii.  19;  xxi.  22,  and  in  a  number  of 
passages  in  these  last  discourses,  John  xiv.  13,  14;  xv.  7, 16. 
But  at  this  point  we  have  the  culmination  of  all  the  former 
statements  of  the  Lord  concerning  the  prayers  of  His 
disciples.  He  tells  them  plainly  that  hitherto  they  have 
"  asked  nothing  in  His  name."  Their  prayers  up  to  this 
point,  at  their  very  best,  were  like  the  prayers  of  the  Old 
Testament  Saints.  But  a  higher  stage  is  to  be  reached  : 
Praying  in  the  name  of  Jesus.  Through  the  passion, 
death  and  resurrection  of  the  Lord  the  full  and  free  access 
has  been  opened  to  the  Father's  throne.  Now  begins  the 
true  New  Testament  kind  of  prayer.  The  work  of  recon- 
ciliation must  be  completed,  the  spirit  must  be  given, 
before  there  can  be  truly  a  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus, 
the  prayer  of  a  reconciled  child  of  God,  assured  of  the 
Father's  love,  a  prayer  addressed  to  God  as  the  Father, 
in  the  name  of  His  only  begotten  Son,  our  only  Mediator. 
The  New  Testament  Church  has  most  beautifully  and 
appropriately  established  the  rule  to  close  all  her  prayers, 
particularly  those  precious  and  comprehensive  collects, 
with  the  expressed  and  distinct  appeal  to  the  Lord : 
"through  Jesus  Christ,  Thy  Son,  our  Lord."  But  beau- 
tiful and  correct  as  this  usage  is,  we  know  that  the  mere 


234  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  24,  25. 

addition  of  these  words  will  not  make  our  prayer  in 
reality  a  prayer  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  To  be  such  in 
spirit  and  in  truth  it  must  be  offered  by  a  heart  believing 
in  the  redemption  of  Christ,  and  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
Christ,  having  the  same  mind  which  was  also  in  Jesus 
(Phil.  ii.  5)  and  which  was  manifested  in  His  prayer  in 
the  garden.  To  such  a  prayer  there  is,  in  reality,  no 
limitation  or  condition  set  by  the  Lord.  "  If  ye  shall  ask 
anytliing o[  the  Father  He  will  give  it  you  in  My  name." 
No  wonder  that  to  such  a  privilege  of  a  praying  child  the 
promise  is  attached  of  a  perfect  and  boundless  gratifica- 
tion :  "Ye  shall  receive,  that  your  joy  may  be  fulfilled." 
Any  gift  that  had  been  earnestly  desired,  hoped  for  and 
asked  for,  brings  joy  to  the  heart  of  the  recipient.  And 
here  is  promised  to  the  believing  child  of  God  the  con- 
summation of  his  deepest  yearnings,  his  loftiest  hopes 
and  aspirations, — that  is,  a  perfect  joy  and  satisfaction. 

As  the  Lord  had,  in  the  preceding  words,  spoken  to  the 
disciples  of  a  new  and  higher  stage  in  their  prayer- 
ful communion  with  God,  so  He  now  (ver.  25)  also  holds 
out  to  them  a  higher  stage  with  reference  to  His  commu- 
nication to  them.  Hitherto  He  spoke  unto  them  "  in 
proverbs,''  but  the  hour  is  coming,  when  He  shall  "  tell 
them  plainly  of  the  Father."  There  is  evidently  here  a 
distinction  between  a  more  indirect,  obscure,  primitive 
form  of  teaching,  and  one  direct,  full  and  plain,  leading 
them  into  the  very  centre  of  God's  revelation.  In  the 
former  class  we  must  include  even  these  discourses  to 
which  the  disciples  had  now  been  listening,  and  which 
contained  so  much  that  was  yet  dark  and  unintelligible 
to  them.  The  second  stage  of  communications  will  be 
reached  after  the  resurrection  of  the  Lord,  and  partic- 
ularly with  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  the  Paraclete,  the 
Spirit  of  truth,  shall  teach  them  all  things  and  bring  to 


XVI.  25-27.]  CHAPTER  XVI.  235 

their  remembrance  all  that  He  said  unto  them  (John 
xiv.  26).  This  higher  stage  of  knowledge  and  the  higher 
stage  of  prayer  shall  be  simultaneous.  The  time  when 
they  shall  know  "  plainly  "  of  the  Father  will  be  the  time 
when  they  shall  speak  directly  to  the  Father  :  "  I  say  not 
unto  you,  that  I  will  pray  the  Father  for  you  "  (ver.  26). 
This  seems  somewhat  strange  and  unexpected  in  the  light 
of  such  passages  as  i  John  ii.  i,  Rom.  viii.  34,  and  Heb. 
vii.  25,  which  represent  Christ  as  the  advocate  of  His 
people  before  the  Father,  who  is  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for  us,  who  is  able  to 
save  to  the  uttermost  them  that  draw  near  unto  God 
through  Him,  seeing  He  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession 
for  them.  And  certainly  there  are  times  and  conditions 
when  the  disciples  in  the  future  also  will  need  the  inter- 
cession of  Christ's  mediatorial  prayers.  But  when  they 
approach  the  Father  in  the  name  of  the  Son,  as  recon- 
ciled and  beloved  children,  they  have  Christ  already  on 
their  side  and  in  their  very  prayers,  being  assured  of  the 
Father's  love  through  Him.  Surely  these  are  "great 
and  wonderful  things,  that  we  are  to  be  like  Christ  and 
His  brothers  and  the  Father's  own  dear  children,  beloved 
by  Him  for  Christ's  sake  "  (Luther). 

Such  a  state,  however,  can  only  be  thought  of  where 
the  relation  between  the  disciples  and  their  Master  implies 
the  following  features  (ver.  27):  (i)  the  Father  Himself 
loveth  them  ;  (2)  they  have  loved  Christ ;  (3)  they  have 
believed  that  He  came  forth  from  the  Father.  If  we  re- 
verse the  order  of  these  statements,  we  find  the  following 
facts  and  experiences,  which,  in  successive  order,  lead  up 
the  disciples  to  that  blessed  state:  (i)  Christ  cometh 
forth  from  the  Father ;  (2)  the  disciples  believe  this,  and 
thus  they  believe  in  Him,  not  only  in  His  divine  mission, 
but  also   in   His  divine  nature,  as  the   everlasting  Son  of 


236  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvr.  28-30. 

the   everlasting    Father;  (3)    the    disciples   love    Christ; 
(4)  the  Father  loveth  the  disciples. 

Thus  the  Lord  has  reached  the  point  where  He  can 
sum  up  in  one  short,  comprehensive  statement,  all  that 
He  had  to  say  in  these  parting  discourses,  in  fact,  all 
that  He  had  ever  taught  the  disciples.  He  does  this  in 
the  words :  "  I  came  out  from  the  Father,  and  am  come 
into  the  world  :  again  I  leave  the  world  and  go  unto  the 
Father"  (ver,  28).  Here  is,  in  the  briefest  form,  the 
whole  testimony  of  Christ  concerning  His  person  and 
work,  everything  that  the  Church  confesses  of  His  eternal 
pre-existence  and  co-existence  with  the  Father,  His  in- 
carnation, His  mediatorial  office.  His  humiliation  and  ex- 
altation, His  passion,  death  and  glorification.  We  are 
inclined  to  think  that  this  was  really  intended  as  the  con- 
clusion of  these  discourses.  But  the  subsequent  naive 
remarks  of  the  disciples  called  for  some  additional  closing 
words  of  a  more  personal,  pastoral  character.  The  dis- 
ciples show  (vers.  29  and  30)  that  the  words  of  the  Lord 
have  made  a  deep  impression  upon  them.  At  this  mo- 
ment everything  seems  perfectly  clear  to  them.  They 
think  they  understand  Him  now,  as  speaking  "  plainly  " 
and  not  in  "  proverbs."  They  come  out  with  a  cheerful, 
hearty  confession  of  faith  :  "  We  believe  that  Thou  camest 
forth  from  God."  Beautiful  and  touching  as  all  this  may 
be,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  disciples  were  mistaken  in 
their  judgment  of  their  state  of  mind,  their  progress  in 
the  faith.  The  very  reason  they  give  for  their  present 
understanding  and  believing,  shows  that  there  is  no  real 
progress  in  this  respect,  no  real  grasping  of  the  great  and 
comprehensive  truths  which  the  Lord  had  communicated 
to  them.  The  fact  that  the  Lord  had  anticipated  their 
questions,  thus  proving  that  He  "  knoweth  all  things," 
was  the  real  cause  of  their  present  readiness  to  believe. 


XVI.  30-3-]  CHAPTER  XVI.  237 

But  even  now  the  contents  of  their  faith,  by  their  own 
statement,  are  quite  fragmentary,  if  compared  with  the 
testimony  of  the  Lord.  Their  confession  of  faith  contains 
only  one  half  of  what  the  Lord  had  just  set  forth.  They 
stop  with  this  sentence  :  "  that  Thou  camest  forth  from 
God."  They  are  silent  on  the  other  half  of  His  testimony, 
those  very  words  around  which  everything  had  clustered 
that  the  Lord  had  communicated  to  them  that  evening : 
"  I  leave  the  world  and  go  unto  the  Father."  The 
mystery  of  this  departure  still  hangs  over  them,  waiting 
for  its  fuller  explanation  and  understanding  in  the  great 
events  of  His  death  and  resurrection.  They  do  not  like 
to  touch  this  point.  Or  did  they  possibly  imagine  this 
leaving  the  world  and  going  to  the  Father  as  a  sort  of 
triumphant  exodus  and  entrance,  in  utter  ignorance  of 
the  impending  terrors  of  that  very  night  in  which  He  was 
betrayed?  (Grau). 

The  Lord's  answer  to  the  last  remarks  of  the  disciples 
unmistakably  shows,  that  He  had  not  much  confidence 
in  their  faith  at  that  stage.  The  revised  version,  with 
many  prominent  commentators,  takes  the  words  apn 
TztareuzTs  (ver.  32)  as  a  question.  In  this  case  it  would  be 
the  expression  of  a  doubt  concerning  the  sincerity  or  at 
least  the  stability  of  their  faith;  possibly  even  with  a 
touch  of  irony  in  it.  We  prefer  to  take  the  words  as  a 
positive  statement  :  "  Now  ye  believe."  But  even  in 
this  case  we  find  here  a  criticism  of  the  faith  they  had  so 
boldly  professed.  Now  there  is  something  like  faith, 
with  all  its  inspiration  and  enthusiasm.  But  it  will  not 
prove  very  strong  and  enduring.  That  very  night  they 
shall  be  scattered,  every  man  to  his  own,  leaving  Him 
alone ! 

But,  while  He  found  Himself  constrained  to  shake 
their  confidence  at   that  point  and  to  prepare  them  for  a 


238  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvi.  32,  33. 

most  painful  experience  of  want  of  faith,  He  ends  with 
sweet  and  tender  words  of  consolation  and  of  peace. 
Though  left  by  the  disciples,  He  is  not  alone.  The 
Father  is  with  Him.  This  He  says  not  only  for  His  own 
strengthening  and  encouragement  under  the  trials  of  that 
night;  but  also  and  chiefly  for  the  sake  of  His  disciples. 
However  difificult  it  may  be  for  them  to  realize  it,  that 
the  outcast  and  condemned  Jesus  of  Nazareth  has  the 
Father  with  Him,  on  His  side, — it  is  the  one  light  in  the 
darkness  of  that  night,  for  Christ  and  His  disciples. 

And  now,  once  more,  as  a  parting  word,  the  Lord 
sums  up  everything  that  His  disciples  need,  in  that 
precious  "  Peace,"  which  He  is  going  to  secure  for  them, 
and  of  which  He  meant  to  assure  them  through  every 
word  He  spoke  that  evening.  He  knows  and  admits 
that  in  the  ivorld  they  have  tribulation.  By  this  He  does 
not  mean  the  common  sorrows  and  afiflictions  to  which 
all  mortals  are  subject  in  this  life.  He  refers  to  those 
special  tribulations  which  are  inflicted  by  the  world  on 
the  disciples,  because  they  are  Christ's  and  not  of  the 
world.  Thus  the  tribulation  itself  proves  their  hetero- 
geneity as  over  against  the  world,  and  is  in  reality  a  com- 
forting and  assuring  feature  in  the  experience  of  the 
disciples.  And  more  than  that !  They  have  every  reason 
to  take  courage  and  "  be  of  good  cheer."  For  their  Lord 
has  overcome  the  world.  Thus  He  anticipates  the  great 
Tzriharai  (it  is  finished)  of  Calvary,  and  with  the  word  of 
victory  on  His  lips  He  goes  forth  into  battle  ! 

Christ's  victory  appropriated  by  faith  becomes  our 
own  victory,  as  John  himself  interprets  and  applies  this 
passage :  "  This  is  the  victory  that  hath  overcome  the 
world,  even  our  faith"  (i  John  v.  4).  Whatever  we 
may  yet  have  to  suffer  and  to  struggle,  is  not  a  real 
battle  any  more,  but  simply  our  share  in  the  spoils  and 
in  the  glory  of  His  victory  (Luther). 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

VI.  The  High  Priest's  Prayer. 

I.  Introductory  RcDiarks. 

In  taking  up  the  exposition  of  this  chapter,  containing 
the  "  High  Priest's  Prayer,"  we  hear  the  words,  spoken 
by  theTord  from  the  burning  bush  to  Moses,  resounding 
in  our  hearts :  "  The  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy 
ground."  It  is  the  "Holiest  of  Holies"  even  in  this 
Gospel  of  St.  John,  on  which  we  here  enter.  Our  greatest 
theologians  have  always  looked  up  to  this  chapter  with 
special  reverence,  and  almost  with  a  kind  of  awe,  that 
made  them  despair  of  their  ability  to  do  justice  to 
this  passage,  in  their  attempts  to  interpret  it.  Even 
Luther  shrank  from  it  with  the  confession  :  "  I  am  afraid 
I  shall  not  be  able  to  bring  out  the  true  character  and 
power  of  this  prayer ;  it  is  so  deep,  so  rich  and  compre- 
hensive, that  no  man  can  possibly  fathom  and  exhaust  it. 
— It  is  the  prayer,  in  which  the  Son  poured  out  the  very 
depths  of  His  heart  before  His  God  and  Father." 
Melanchthon  delivered  his  last  lecture  to  his  students  in 
Wittenberg,  on  this  chapter  (April  2,  1560),  saying: 
"  There  have  never  been  heard,  in  heaven  or  on  earth, 
more  exalted,  holy,  wholesome  and  pathetic  words  than 
these."  Spener,  who  had  never  in  his  life  had  the  cour- 
age to  preach  on  this  chapter,  had  it  read  three  times  in 
his  dying  hours.     John  Gerhard  said,  that  "this  wonder- 

239 


240  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  i. 

ful  and  peculiar  prayer  exceeded  all  human  understand- 
ing." And  yet  Bengel  is  right  when  he  characterizes  it 
in  these  brief  and  pithy  words:  "  Verbis  facillimum,  sen- 
sibus  profundissimum — (quite  easy  in  its  words,  most 
profound  in  its  meaning)." 

One  thing  must  never  be  forgotten  in  reading  this 
chapter  or  in  trying  to  interpret  it  :  It  is,  from  beginning  to 
end,  a  prayer  and  not  an  address,  like  the  preceding  dis- 
courses to  the  disciples.  The  opening  words  of  the 
chapter  clearly  characterize  its  contents  as  a  prayer : 
"  Jesus,  lifting  up  His  eyes,  said  :  Father,  etc."  It  is  the 
Lord's  Prayer  in  an  emphatic  sense,  while  what  we  are 
accustomed  to  call  by  that  name  is  in  reality  the  disciples' 
prayer,  the  prayer  of  those  who  are,  through  Christ,  the 
children  of  their  heavenly  Father  and  brethren  in  their 
relation  to  each  other.  Christ's  prayerful  communion 
with  the  Father,  which  we  know  to  have  been  a  regular 
occurrence  every  day  and  many  a  night,  was,  as  a  rule, 
without  witnesses,  and  has  not  therefore  been  recorded 
in  words  which  men  could  hear  and  preserve.  But  in 
this  particular  case  the  disciples  were  privileged  to  hear 
the  very  words  He  prayed,  and  to  treasure  them  in  their 
memory  for  all  time  to  come,  for  their  own  and  the 
Church's  comfort  and  edification.  But,  we  insist,  it  is 
not  a  discourse  for  the  instruction,  admonition  and 
encouragement  of  the  hearers,  but  a  true  and  genuine 
prayer,  an  appeal  addressed  by  the  Son  to  the  Father, 
with  certain  clearly  defined  petitions,  with  a  strong  pur- 
pose to  obtain  from  the  Father  ^everything  He  asked  for. 

While  John  Gerhard  calls  it  "the  prayer  before  the 
agony"  (sujjf^  ttpoo-yoivwi)  its  commonly  accepted  title  is 
"the  sacerdotal  prayer  "  or  "  the  High  Priest's  prayer," 
which  is  used  by  Luther  already  (not  first  by  Chytraeus, 
as  is  sometimes  stated).     In  what  sense  then  is  it  called 


XVII.  I.]  CHAPTER  XVIT.  241 

"  the  High  Priest's  prayer"?  Jesus,  "  the  Apostle  and 
High  Priest  of  our  confession  "  (Hebrews  iii.  i),  is  ready 
to  enter,  "  not  into  a  holy  place,  made  with  hands, — but 
into  heaven  itself,  now  to  appear  before  the  face  of  God 
for  us  "  (Hebrews  ix.  24).  He  gives  an  account  of  His 
apostleship  to  the  Father  (rationem  reddit  Christus  coram 
patre.  John  Gerhard).  And  on  the  ground  of  His  well 
discharged  apostolic  function  He  brings  His  claims  and 
appeals  before  the  Father,  and  declares  Himself  ready  to 
enter  upon  the  highest  function  of  His  sacerdotal  ofifice, 
the  offering  of  the  atoning  sacrifice  for  the  sin  of  the 
world.  He  is  now  coming  to  the  Father  as  the  High 
Priest  (accessu  sacerdotali.  Bengel  on  verse  ii).  And 
this  is  the  prayer  of  initiation.  It  is  therefore  not  exactly 
on  the  same  level  with  the  prayers  with  which  Christ  in 
His  present  state  of  glory,  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
Father,  makes  intercession  for  His  people.  It  has  a 
unique  place  in  the  history  of  our  Lord,  just  as  the 
sacrifice  itself  has,  which  He  was  then  ready  to  ofTer. 
"  By  one  offering  He  hath  perfected  forever  them  that 
are  sanctified"  (Hebrews  x.  14.     Also  verse  12). 

However  reluctant  we  may  feel  to  submit  the  wonder- 
ful organism  of  this  prayer  to  the  attempt  of  human 
logic  and  dialectics  to  map  out  a  full  and  detailed  dispo- 
sition of  this  chapter,  we  see  no  reason  to  reject  the 
commonly  accepted  division  into  three  parts:  first  :^ 
Christ's  prayer  for  Himself  (vers.  1-5);  secondly  :  Christ's 
prayer  for  His  disciples,  as  there  assembled  before  Him 
(vers.  6-19) ;  thirdly :  Christ's  prayer  for  those,  who, 
through  their  word,  will  be  brought  to  believe  in  Him 

'  This    first   part   is  extended  by  some  commentators  so  as  to  include 
verses  6-8  ;  beginning  the  second  part  with  the  ninth  verse ;  the  interces- 
sion in  behalf  of  the  disciples  being  marked  by   the   words  :  "  I  pray  for 
them."     See  Weizsascker,  Das  Neue  Testament,  1S88. 
16 


242  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  i. 

(vers.  20-24).      The  two  remaining  verses  of  the  chapter 
form  the  conclusion  of  the  prayer. 

In  taking  up  its  exposition  in  detail,  we  are  mindful  of 
Luther's  advice,  always  to  consider  "  who  the  Man  is  that 
offers  this  prayer;  who  He  is  to  whom  the  prayer  is 
offered  ;  how  great  the  things   are  which  are  asked  for." 

2.    The  High  Priest  Praying  for  Himself  (xvii.  1-5). 

1-5.  These  things  spake  Jesus;  and  lifting  up  his  eyes  to  heaven,  he 
said,  Father,  the  hour  is  come  ;  glorify  thy  Son,  that  the  Son  may  glorify 
thee  :  even  as  thou  gavest  him  authority  over  all  flesh,  that  whatsoever 
thou  hast  given  him,  to  them  he  should  give  eternal  life.  And  this  is  life 
eternal,  that  they  should  know  thee  the  only  true  God,  and  him  whom  thou 
didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ.  I  glorified  thee  on  the  earth,  having  accom- 
plished the  work  which  thou  hast  given  me  to  do.  And  now,  O  Father, 
glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self  with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee 
before  the  world  was. 

Thus  far  the  Lord  had  kept  His  eyes  fixed  upon  His 
disciples  whom  He  had  been  addressing.  Now  He  lifts 
them  up  to  heaven,  addressing  the  Father,  whose  name 
runs  like  a  golden  thread  through  the  whole  prayer.  (It 
is  mentioned  six  times,  verses  i,  5,  1 1,  21,  24,  25,  twice 
with  the  adjectives :  holy  and  righteous.)  The  hour,  to 
which  He  refers  in  the  opening  sentence  of  His  prayer, 
is  the  hour  of  glorification.  It  is  the  hour  in  which 
Christ's  whole  earthly  life  culminates,  including  both  His 
deepest  humiliation  and  His  glorious  exaltation.^  He 
knows  what  this  hour  will  bring  to  Him,  and  He  thus 
formally  and  solemnly  offers  Himself  for  all  this  ;  He 
goes  even  so  far  as  to  ask  for  it  directly  with  this  petition  : 
Father,  glorify  Thy  Son.  But  this  glorification  of  the 
Son  is  only  an  instrumentality.     The  great  final  aim  and 

1  See  John  xiii.  i.  Jesus  knew  that  His  hour  was  come  that  he  should 
depart  out  of  this  world  unto  the  Father. 


XVII.  1-3-]  CHAPTER  XVII.  243 

end  is  the  glory  of  the  Father  Himself,  the  recognition 
of  His  glory,  the  honoring  of  His  name  (John  xii.  28) 
among  men,  the  full  realization  of  that  "  Gloria  in  Ex- 
celsis  Deo  "  with  which  the  incarnation  of  the  Son  was 
heralded  on  Bethlehem's  field.  If  it  is  a  divine  work  of 
the  Father  to  glorify  the  Son,  it  is  likewise  a  divine  work 
of  the  Son  to  glorify  tlic  Father. 

The  claim  of  this  comprehensive  petition,  "  Glorify 
Thy  Son,"  is  based  upon  the  fulfilment  of  the  task 
allotted  to  Him.  He  renders  His  account  before  the 
Father,  and  in  doing  so.  He,  first  of  all,  remembers  the 
charge  He  had  received  :  Authority  over  all  flesh — to 
give  them  eternal  life.  Both  a  power  and  a  commission 
are  implied  in  the  term  authority  (J.^(iu6ia)  as  in  John 
X.  18,  the  power  and  the  commandment  to  lay  down 
His  life  and  to  take  it  again  are  combined  {t^auSia  and 
ivrokyf).  It  is  the  Incarnate  Son  of  God  to  whom 
such  power  and  authority  over  all  flesh  are  given.  The 
Logos  must  become  flesh,  to  have  a  saving  power  over  all 
flesh.  For  this  term  "  all  flesh  "  represents  an  ocean  of 
human  misery  and  wretchedness.  "All  flesh  is  grass  and 
all  the  goodliness  thereof  is  as  the  flower  of  the  field. 
The  grass  withereth,  the  flower  fadeth,  because  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  bloweth  upon  it :  surely  the  people  is  grass  " 
(Isaiah  xl.  6  f.) ;  a  "  corruptible  seed  "  as  Peter  calls  it 
(i  Pet.  i.  23).  To  give  eternal  life  to  this  perishing 
flesh,  is  the  task  committed  to  the  Son,  with  the  corre- 
sponding power  ;  a  power  not  to  bring  death  and  destruc- 
tion, but  life  and  salvation  to  all  that  come  unto  Him, 
being  given  unto  Him  by  the  Father. 

This  life  eternal  the  Son  declares  to  be  "  that  they 
should  know  Thee  the  only  true  God  and  Him  whom 
Thou  didst  send,  even  Jesus  Christ."  It  is  natural  that 
a  statement  like  this  has  frequently  been  treated  as  if  it 


244     '  ^^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  3. 

were  a  piece  of  information,  intended  for  the  disciples, 
instructing  them  as  to  the  way  by  whicli  to  reach  eternal 
life.  But  we  insist  on  preserving  the  character  of  a 
prayer,  addressed  to  the  Father,  also  in  this  sentence.  It 
is  a  solemn  declaration  of  the  Son  to  the  Father,  con- 
cerning the  manner  in  which  He  discharged  His  duty  of 
giving  eternal  life  to  all  flesh.  Here  is  His  conception  of 
eternal  life.  Men  can  receive  it  only  with  the  full  light 
of  revelation  concerning  the  one  true  God  and  Him  whom 
He  did  send,  even  Jesus  Christ.  "  In  Him  was  life  and 
the  life  was  the  light  of  men.  That  was  the  true  light, 
which  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world  " 
(John  I  :  4,  9).^  We  find  then  in  the  statement  of  this 
third  verse  an  account  of  His  stewardship,  rendered  by 
the  Son  to  the  Father.  So  much  concerning  the  true 
conception  of  the  form  of  this  statement.  And  now  a 
few  remarks  on  its  contents.  Here  we  observe  first  of 
all,  that  this  definition  of  "  eternal  life "  brings  this 
precious  gift  olearly  and  distinctly  into  this  present  time. 
Eternal  life  is  here  not  represented  as  a  distant  good,  to 
be  hoped  for  as  a  future  inheritance  in  another  life,  it  is 
described  as  a  present  possession  and  enjoyment,  within 
the  reach  of  man  in  this  world. 

But  how  can  "eternal  life  "  be  identical  with  a  certain 
kiwivlcdge,  however  great  and  precious  the  truths  maybe, 
that  are  made  known  to  men?  The  scriptural  term  "to 
know,"  especially  as  used  in  this  connection  by  the 
Saviour,  is  by  no  means  a  purely  intellectual  grasping  of 
certain  abstract,  impersonal  truths,  it  is  not  a  knowledge 
of  books,  of  arithmetical  tables,  of  facts  and  dates,  of 
creeds  and  doctrines.  It  is  to  know  a  person  or  persons, 
as  a  friend  knows  the  friend,  a  child    the   mother,  a  hus- 

^  '■  The  prayer  of  the  High  Priest  is  the  real  source  of  the  Prologue  of  St. 
John's  Gospel"  (F.  L.  Stkinmkykr). 


XVII.  3-]  CHAPTER  XVII.  245 

band  his  wife.  It  is  a  personal  relation  ;  an  affectionate 
knowledge,  which  is  most  fruitful  and  effective  {iiossc 
cum  affect u  ct  effect  11),  And  in  this  case  this  knowledge 
is  absolutely  dependent  on  the  fact,  that  the  one  true 
God  makes  Himself  known  to  man  through  Him,  whom 
He  did  send,  even  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  thus  that  men 
come  to  know  the  Father.  "  The  only-begotten  Son 
which  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  He  hath  declared 
Him  "  (John  i.  18).  To  receive  His  testimony,  to  ac- 
cept God's  love  as  revealed  in  Christ  (John  iii.  16),  to 
be  thus  re-united  with  the  Father  through  the  Son,  to  be 
restored  to  a  personal  relation  of  union  and  communion 
with  Him,  this  is  to  know  the  only  true  God  and  HiiPx 
whom  He  sent,  even  Jesus  Christ,  and  this,  indeed,  is 
eternal  life.  To  have  lost  this  union,  this  personal  and 
intimate  acquaintance,  knowledge  and  communion  with 
God,  was  and  is  death,  everlasting  death,  because  it  im- 
plies separation  from  God,  the  source  of  all  life. 

Everlasting  life  then  is  bound  up  with  the  absolute 
revelation  of  the  one  true  God  through  Jesus  Christ  His 
Son,  over  against  all  false  religions,  religionisms  and  phil- 
osophies, whether  Jewish,  Pagan  or  modern  "  Christian." 
The  charge  made  by  Socinians  and  others  that  this  text 
claims  divinity  only  for  God  the  Fatheras  "  the  only  true 
God  "  and  that  it  denies  it  to  Him,  whom  the  Father 
sent,  has  well  been  met  by  Luther  already,  when  He 
says  :  "  Christ  binds  Himself  up  with  that  same  one  divine 
being,  power  and  majesty,  because  He  wants  to  be  known, 
together  with  the  Father,  as  the  one  that  gives  everlast- 
ing life."  Certainly,  in  speaking  of  Himself  as  the  one 
who  was  sent  by  the  Father,  the  Lord  does  not  place  Him- 
self on  the  same  level  with  other  Apostles  and  prophets, 
like  Moses,  Elijah,  St.  Paul.  It  would  be  impossible  in 
this  sentence  to  substitute  one   of   these   names,  or  any 


246  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  3-5. 

other  name  of  man  for  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  For  He  is 
not  simply  an  "  agent,"  a  messenger  and  Apostle  of  that 
saving  knowledge,  which  is  life  eternal  ;  He  is  Himself 
the  "  object  "  of  that  knowledge,  the  same  as  the  Father 
Himself  (Godet),  In  this  connection  the  full  name 
"  Jesus  Christ  "  is  used  with  special  emphasis  by  the  Lord. 
He  often  spoke  of  Himself  in  the  third  person,  as  the 
"  Son  of  Man  "  or  "  the  Son."  "  Christ  "  He  uses  twice 
(Mark  ix.  41  and  Matt,  xxiii.  10).  "  Jesus  "  He  never  uses 
alone.  And  here  for  once  "  Jesus  Christ,"  the  full  name 
in  which  His  humility  and  His  majesty  are  both  combined  ; 
that  precious  name,  which,  being  preached  by  His  servants 
and  confessed  by  His  church,  is  henceforth  the  name  in 
which  God's  saving  revelation  to  this  world  is  compre- 
hended, namely,  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God, 
and  that  believing,  men  might  have  life  in  this  name. 
(See  also  i  John  v.  20,  that  we  may  know  Him  that  is 
true  ;  and  we  are  in  Him  that  is  true,  even  in  His  Son 
Jesus  Christ.     This  is  the  true  God  and  eternal  life.) 

The  Son  will  glorify  the  Father,  when,  in  His  state 
of  exaltation.  He  will  send  down  the  Spirit  to  gather  men 
into  the  everlasting  Kingdom  of  God.  But  the  Son 
has  already  glorified  the  Father  in  His  prophetic  and 
apostolic  work  on  earth.  He  has  accomplished  His  work. 
In  spite  of  the  frequent  pain  and  sorrow  caused  by  the 
indifference  and  hostility  of  men  (see  John  v.  40),  His 
heart  is  cheered  in  looking  over  the  little  band  of  believers 
who  did  take  everlasting  life  from  Him,  and  who  will  soon 
carry  His  life-message  all  over  the  world.  And  now,  hav- 
ing finished  this  task,  the  God-man  asks  that  He  may  sit 
at  the  right  hand  of  the  Father,  with  the  same  divine 
majesty,  glory  and  power,  which  He  had  from  everlasting 
with  the  everlasting  Father,  above  the  world,  before  the 
world,  its  time  and  space. 


XVII.  5-8]  CHAPTER  XVII.  247 

This  '*  glorify  Me  "  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the 
High  Priest's  prayer  for  Himself.  Now  we  turn  to  His 
prayer  for  the  disciples  gathered  around  Him. 

3.   TJie  High  Priest  Praying  for  the  Disciples  (xvii.  6-19). 

6-19.  I  manifested  thy  name  unto  the  men  whom  thou  gavest  me  out  of 
the  world  :  thine  they  were,  and  thou  gavest  them  to  me ;  and  they  have  kept 
thy  word.  Now  they  l<now  that  all  things  whatsoever  thou  hast  given  me 
are  from  thee :  for  the  words  which  thou  gavest  me  I  have  given  unto 
them ;  and  they  received  t/ient,  and  knew  of  a  truth  that  I  came  forth  from 
thee,  and  they  believed  that  thou  didst  send  me.  I  pray  for  them  :  I  pray 
not  for  the  world,  but  for  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me  ;  for  they  are 
thine  :  and  all  things  that  are  mine  are  thine,  and  thine  are  mine  :  and  I 
am  glorified  in  them.  And  I  am  no  more  in  the  world,  and  these  are  in  the 
world,  and  I  come  to  thee.  Holy  Father,  keep  them  in  thy  name  which 
thou  hast  given  me,  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are.  While  I  was 
with  them,  I  kept  them  in  thy  name  which  thou  hast  given  me  :  and  I 
guarded  them,  and  not  one  of  them  perished,  but  the  son  of  perdition ; 
that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled.  But  now  I  come  to  thee  ;  and  these 
things  I  speak  in  the  world,  that  they  may  have  my  joy  fulfilled  in  them- 
selves. I  have  given  them  thy  word ;  and  the  world  hated  them,  because 
they  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  of  the  world.  I  pray  not  that 
thou  shouldest  take  them  from  the  world,  but  that  thou  shouldest  keep 
them  from  the  evil  one.  They  are  not  of  the  world,  even  as  I  am  not  oif 
the  world.  Sanctify  them  in  the  truth  :  thy  word  is  truth.  As  thou  didst 
send  me  into  the  world,  even  so  sent  I  them  into  the  world.  And  for  their 
sakes  I  sanctify  myself,  that  they  themselves  also  may  be  sanctified  in 
truth. 

The  direct  prayer  of  the  High  Priest  for  His  disciples 
begins  only  at  ver.  g,  "  I  pray  for  them."  The  preced- 
ing vers.  6-8  introdifce  the  subject,  presenting  the  dis- 
ciples themselves  to  the  Father,  telling  what  had  been 
done  for  them  thus  far,  what  stage  of  their  spiritual  de- 
velopment they  had  now  reached  through  the  work  of 
the  Son  during  those  past  three  years.  On  this  basis, 
then,  the  petition  is  offered  in  behalf  of  the  disciples,  that 
they  should  be  kept  in  the  Father's  name,  kept  from  evil, 
sanctified  in  the  truth. 


248  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN:  [xvii.  6. 

Whatsoever  Christ  did  on  earth  was  done  to  manifest 
the  Father  s  name.  Eternal,  Hfe  is  to  know  the  Father. 
But  to  know  the  Father  we  must  have  His  name  mani- 
fested to  us.  It  is  a  significant  fact  that  in  the  language 
of  the  New  Testament  the  word  "  to  know  "  (^cv,6(7-/m^ 
and  the  word  "  name  "  (owv/«)  have  one  common  root. 
The  name  of  the  Father  naturally  suggests  the  revelation 
of  the  Father,  it  is  His  nature  and  being  as  known  and 
revealed  in  this  world.  This  manifestation  of  the  Father- 
Name  through  Jesus  Christ  must,  however,  be  correctly 
understood.  It  is  quite  true  that  this  name  reveals  God 
as  love.  (See  John  iii.  16  and  i  John  iii.  i.)  It  is  "  that 
true  name  by  which  we  are  to  know  God,  that  is,  see  His 
very  heart,  will  and  work  "  (Luther).  But  it  is  not,  in 
the  first  place,  "  God  as  our  Father  "  that  is  referred  to 
by  this  manifestation  of  His  name.  It  is  God  as  the 
Father  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  gave  His  only-be- 
gotten Son  for  the  life  of  the  world. 

The  disciples  to  wdiom  this  Father-Name  was  first  mani- 
fested by  Christ  are  described  as  "  the  men  whom  Thou 
gavest  Me  out  of  the  world,"  not  by  an  absolute,  eternal 
decree  of  predestination,  but  by  the  means  described  in 
the  following  statements.  "  Thine  they  zvere,''  not  simply 
in  that  universal  sense  in  which  all  creatures  are  His  who 
made  them.  It  includes  all  those  preliminary  educational 
steps,  by  which  these  men  were,  under  the  Father's  special 
care,  brought  out  of  the  world  and  led  to  the  Son.  In  the 
case  of  the  disciples  this  implies  their  Old  Testament 
covenant  relation  as  honest  Israelites,  looking,  like  Simeon, 
for  the  consolation  of  Israel  (Luke  ii,  25).  With  a 
number  of  them  this  culminated  in  their  connection  with 
John  the  Baptist,  whom  they  joined  as  disciples  and  as 
candidates  for  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  which  he  an- 
nounced.    Christ's  testimony  "  they  have  kept  Thy  zvord" 


XVII.  6-9-]  CHAPTER  XVII.  249 

therefore  points  to  the  Old  Testament  word  of  the 
Father  as  distinct  from  the  New  Testament  words  which 
Jesus  Himself  gave  unto  them  in  His  personal  teaching. 
This  reference  to  the  Father's  word  is  particularly  sig- 
nificant in  this  connection,  as  it  "promptly  puts  an  end 
to  any  anxiety  and  dispute  concerning  the  secret  council 
and  decree  of  God  by  which  some  men  are  troubled  and 
tormented  "  (LUTHER).  How  these  men,  after  all  that 
the  Old  Testament  dispensation  and  the  preventing  grace 
of  God  had  done  for  them,  were  individually  drawn  to 
Christ,   is  beautifully   illustrated   in  the   narrative    John 

i-  35-51- 

From  their  preparatory  department,  so  to  speak,  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Father,  they  have  then  been  advanced 
to  the  full  New  Testament  knowledge  through  the  testi- 
mony of  the  Son  :  "  Noiv  they  knoiv^  etc.  They  recog- 
nized in  Christ  the  One  whom  the  Father  sent  and 
endowed  for  His  great  Mission.  His  words  \\\&y  received, 
and  knew  and  believed  that  the  Father  did  send  the  Son. 
These  three  stages,  then,  receiving,  knowing,  believing, 
are  inseparably  connected  in  this  whole  development  of 
saving  knowledge.  See  Peter's  testimony:  "  We  have 
believed  and  know  that  Thou  art  the  Holy  One  of  God  " 
(John  vi.  69). 

With  the  ninth  verse  the  prayer  itself  begins  which  the 
High  Priest  offers  for  His  disciples.  It  opens  with  an 
emphatic  '£^7'«>,  /  pray  for  them,  I  the  God-man,  who  have 
given  them  the  Father's  words  and  have  brought  them  to 
their  present  state  of  faith.  He  prays  for  them  ;  but  what 
He  asks  from  the  Father  for  them  is  not  introduced  until 
the  eleventh  verse.  At  present  the  Lord  prepares  the  way 
for  His  particular  petition.  It  is  based  upon  the  fact  that 
the  disciples  stand  in  sharp  antithesis  to  the  world  and 
inclose    intimate    union    with    Himself.     He  prays  "  ;/^/ 


250  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  9-11. 

for  the  ^vorld"  which  persists  in  its  hostile  attitude  to- 
wards Him.  Of  course  there  is  no  decree  of  reprobation 
to  be  found  in  these  words.  Though  some  predestinarians 
strain  them  even  so  as  to  contain  the  declaration,  that,  as 
He  will  not  even  pray  for  the  world,  much  less  will  He 
die  for  the  world  !  We  know  that  on  other  occasions  the 
Lord  did  indeed  pray  for  the  world.  (See  Luke  xxiii.  34 
on  the  cross.)  And  charged  His  disciples  also  to  pray  for 
the  hostile  world  (Matt.  v.  44).  But  here  He  confines 
Himself  to  those  whom  the  Father  has  given  Him  and 
who. are  the  Father's  own  at  the  same  time,  in  whom  He 
is  glorified.  He  is  the  Saviour  of  all  men,  but  especially 
of  them  that  believe  (i  Tim.  iv.  10).  And  of  those  He 
now  says  with  special  emphasis  to  the  Father :  "  they  are 
Thine.''  This  is  more  than  the  previous  statement: 
"  Thine  they  were  "  (ver.  6).  Now  they  are  really,  fully 
and  eternally  His,  as  those  given  by  the  Father  to  the 
Son  and  brought  through  the  Son  to  the  Father.  From 
the  persons,  the  disciples,  that  are  the  Father's  and  the 
Son's,  the  Lord  rises  to  a  wider  and  more  comprehensive 
outlook :  "  All  things  that  are  Mine  are  Thine,  and 
Thine  are  Mine."  If  He  only  said  the  first  part  of  this 
sentence,  "  all  things  that  are  Mine  are  Thine,"  it  would 
not,  says  Luther,  be  such  a  remarkable  and  wonderful 
thing.  For  every  one  must  say  in  a  certain  sense  that 
whatever  we  have  is  God's.  But  this  is  truly  great  and 
marvellous  that  He  reverses  it,  saying :  "  Thine  are 
Mine."     This  no  creature  can  say  before  God, 

In  the  eleventh  verse  the  Lord  -at  last  utters  the  peti- 
tion in  behalf  of  the  disciples  :  "  Holy  Father,  keep  them 
in  Thy  name."  This  prayer  is  offered  by  Him  who  is  go- 
ing to  leave  the  disciples  in  a  world  of  sin,  conflict  and 
temptation.  Out  of  this  world  they  had  been  given  to 
Him.     And  now   He  is  anxious  to  see  them  preserved 


XVII.  II,  12.]  CHAPTER  XVII.  251 

from  falling  back  into  this  world  and  kept  intact  through 
the  mercy  and  care  of  the  Father.  The  Lord,  in  these 
words,  clearly  anticipates  His  departure.  He  knew  what 
it  was  to  be  in  this  world.  And  the  next  hours  were  to 
give  Him  a  full  taste  of  the  sorrow  and  shame  which  the 
world  was  determined  to  heap  upon  Him.  But  He  is 
coming  to  the  Father.  This  is  the  one  thought  that  is 
now  uppermost  in  His  mind.  It  lifts  Him  up  above  the 
world.  "  I  am  no  more  in  the  world  ;  but  these  are  in 
the  world."  They  need  the  Father's  sheltering  care  and 
protection.  For  them  He  prays:  "■Holy  Father,  keep 
themy  It  is  only  in  this  one  passage  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment that  God  is  addressed  by  this  name.  The  term 
"  Holy  "  which  is  so  frequent  in  the  Old  Testament,  is 
comparatively  rarely  found  as  an  attribute  of  God  in  the 
New  Testament,  which,  however,  has  a  great  deal  to  say 
of  God's  people,  as  the  "  Saints  "  {ayioi).  It  designates 
not  only  the  sinless  purity  and  majesty  of  God,  but  also 
the  idea  that  the  pure  and  holy  God  is  determined  to 
purify  the  sinner,  to  bridge  over  the  gulf  that  separates 
Him  from  the  sinful  world,  and  to  save  the  sinner.  It 
combines  His  self-assertion  and  His  condescension.  (See 
Luke  i.  49,  50  and  the  frequent  connection  in  the  Old 
Testament,  of  this  attribute  of  God  with  His  grace  and 
mercy  ;   Isaiah  Ivii.  15,  16  ;  xli.  14,  and  other  passages.) 

The  Holy  Father,  who  preserves  and  sanctifies  His 
people,  is  asked  to  keep  them  "  m  His  name,  that  they 
may  be  oner  Being  kept  in  the  Father's  name,  the  dis- 
ciples are  in  the  unity  of  one  knowledge,  faith  and  con- 
fession, in  one  word  and  sacrament,  in  one  Lord  Christ, 
and  therefore  they  are  kept  together,  so  as  to  be  one  in 
Him.  Hitherto  the  Lord  Himself,  in  His  personal 
bodily  presence  with  the  disciples,  was  their  keeper  and 
guardian,  watching  over  them,  admonishing  and  warning 


252  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  11-16. 

them,  praying  for  them,  that  their  faith  fail  not  (Luke 
xxii.  32),  This  work  He  now  commits  to  the  Father. 
His  petition  simply  amounts  to  this:  "  Do  Thou  hence- 
forth, what  I  myself  have  been  doing  hitherto,"  another 
striking  proof  of  the  union  between  the  Father  and  the 
Son.  The  Son's  work  of  keeping  and  guarding  His  own 
has  been  perfectly  successful,  with  only  one  apparent  ex- 
ception, "  the  son  of  perdition  "  whose  memory  follows 
the  Lord  even  into  this  prayer.  But  it  is  part  of  the  ac- 
count He  gives  to  the  Father  of  His  stewardship,  that 
He  must  refer  to  that  lost  one.  He  owes  it  to  Himself 
to  testify,  in  that  solemn  hour,  that  as  far  as  He  was  con- 
cerned, nothing  was  left  undone.  Judas  Iscariot  received 
the  same  pastoral  care  as  the  other  disciples.  No  reproach 
rests  on  his  Master.  But  he  refused  to  accept  and  keep 
His  words,  as  the  others  accepted  and  kept  them.  There 
is  one  consolation  for  the  Lord  in  this  sad  case,  and  that 
is  tJie  fulfilment  of  Scripture  even  in  the  fate  of  the 
traitor.  But  it  is  not  Christ's  fault,  nor  the  Scripture's, 
nor  the  Father's,  that  Judas  is  lost.  Looking  upon  it-  in 
this  light,  even  this  terrible  reminiscence  cannot  now  in- 
terfere with  the  serene,  heavenly  joy  of  the  Lord  and  of 
His  disciples. 

The  first  petition  which  the  Lord  offered  for  the  dis- 
ciples is  intensified  (in  ver.  15)  in  this  form  :  I  pray  that 
Thou  shouldst  keep  them  from  the  evil.  The  reference 
to  the  traitor  suggests  the  great  danger  to  which  the  dis- 
ciples are  exposed  as  long  as  they  are  in  this  world,  which 
hates  them  and  persecutes  them,.  Their  relation  to  the 
world  has  become  totally  changed  since  they  accepted 
the  word  which  the  Lord  has  given  them.  Through  this 
acceptance  of  His  word  they  are  placed  in  a  position  of 
antagonism  to  the  world,  even  as  Christ  Himself  is  "not 
of  the  world."     For  their  personal  feeling  it  might  seem 


XVII.  1 5-1 9-]  CHAPTER  XVII.  253 

to  be  the  most  desirable  thing  that,  together  with  their 
Lord,  they  might  be  taken  out  of  this  world  and  be  at 
rest  forever.  But  this  cannot  be.  And  the  Lord  can- 
not pray  for  this.  He  has  a  great  work  for  them  to  do 
in  this  world,  and  even  for  their  own  personal  develop- 
ment and  sanctification  it  is  good  and  necessary  for  them 
to  remain  and  fight  the  good  fight  of  faith.  But  they  do 
need  the  power  and  protection  of  the  Father  to  keep 
them  from  evil  in  this  wicked  world. ^ 

Thus  far  the  Lord  asked  for  His  disciples  that  the 
Father  should  keep  them  in  His  name  and  should  keep 
them  from  evil.  Now  He  offers  the  positive  petition  : 
"  Sanctify  them  in  the  truth,"  basing  it  upon  the  great 
fact  of  His  atoning  passion  and  death  :  "for  their  sakes 
I  sanctify  Myself,  that  they  themselves  also  may  be  sanc- 
tified in  truth."  These  verses  (17-19)  represent  the  very 
centre  and  heart  of  the  whole  prayer.  Both  the  personal 
and  the  ofificial  consecration  of  the  disciples,  as  God's 
children,  ambassadors  of  Christ,  is  included  in  this  sanc- 
tification. The  powerful  means  by  which  this  is  to  be 
effected  is  the  word.  Over  against  the  world  with  its 
darkness  and  satanic  lies,  the  disciples  have  the  word  of 
light  and  truth,  which  Christ  has  given  them.  It  is  the 
whole  saving  truth  of  God,  the  only  power  that  will 
prevail  against  the  prince  of  this  world.  But  here  again 
let  us  not  forget  to  take  even  such  a  sentence  ("  Thy 
word  is  truth  ")  as  a  true  prayer,  both  in  its  form  and 
spirit.     The  Son,  at  the  close  of  His  personal  prophetical 

1  The  question  is,  whether  (k  tou  -ovi/pov  (as  in  the  seventh  petition  of  the 
Lord's  Prayer,  Matthew  vl.  13)  is  to  be  taken  as  masculine,  the  evil  one,  or 
as  neuter,  the  evil.  The  former  view  is  held  by  Bengel,  Wesley,  Luthardt, 
Weiss,  Keil,  Westcott,  Dwight,  Weizsascker,  and  the  Revised  Version  ; 
the  latter  by  Stier,  Lange,  Alford,  Godet  and  Luther's  Version.  Apart 
from  deeper  reasons  against  the  masculine  Tvnvr/p6r  in  this  context,  the  pre- 
positio  tK  seems  to  us  clearly  to  decide  the  case  in  favor  of  the  neuter. 


254  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvir.  17-20. 

work  on  earth,  says  to  the  Father,  in  this  solemn  hour 
and  in  the  hearing  of  His  disciples  :  "  Thy  word  is 
truth  !  "  He  confesses  and  dt^clares  with  praise  and 
thanksgiving  to  the  Father,  what  His  word  has  been  even 
to  Him  in  His  experience  as  a  teacher  and  prophet  among 
the  people.  And  His  Apostles,  whom  He  sends  out  into 
the  world,  will  make  the  same  experience  of  the  truth  of 
the  word,  and  of  its  sanctifying,  conquering  power  over 
against  all  the  opposing  forces  of  the  world  around  them 
and  in  them.  But  the  one,  true  foundation  of  the  sanc- 
tification  of  Christ's  people  is  the  fact  that  He  has  sanc- 
tified Himself  for  them.  He  sacrificed  Himself  for  us  in 
the  consecration  of  His  whole  life,  culminating  in  His 
passion  and  death  (Philippians  ii.  8,  becoming  obedient 
even  unto  death,  yea,  the  death  of  the  cross).  Thus 
through  the  sacrifice  of  Christ  the  guilt  of  sin  is  wiped 
out,  its  power  broken,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
sanctifier,  secured.  "  By  one  offering  He  hath  perfected 
forever  them  that  are  sanctified"  (Hebrews  x.  14). 


4.    TJie  High  Priest  Praying  for  all  Believers  (xvii.  20-24). 

20-24.  Neither  for  these  only  do  I  pray,  but  for  them  also  that  believe 
on  me  through  their  word ;  that  they  may  all  be  one  ;  even  as  thou, 
Father,  ai't  in  me  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  in  us  :  that  the  world 
may  believe  that  thou  didst  send  me.  And  the  glory  which  thou  hast 
given  me  I  have  given  unto  them  ;  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  we  are 
one  ;  I  in  them,  and  thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  perfected  into  one  ;  that 
the  world  may  know  that  thou  didst  send  me,  and  lovedst  them,  even  as 
thou  lovedst  me.  feather,  that  which  thou  Kast  given  me,  I  will  that,  where 
I  am,  they  also  may  be  with  me ;  that  they  may  behold  my  glory,  which  thou 
hast  given  me :  for  thou  lovedst  me  before  the  foundation  of  the  world. 

The  view  of  the  praying  High  Priest  expands.  From 
the  little  band  around  Him  He  looks  out  over  the  whole 
world,  and  forward  over  all  the  centuries  of  its  history. 


XVII.  20,  21.]  CHAPTER  XVH.  255 

He  praj's  for  all  believers  of  all  times  and  nations,  who 
through  the  Apostolic  word,  as  written  and  preached  by 
the  disciples,  believe  ^  on  Christ.  It  is,  in  so  far,  again  a 
prayer  for  the  disciples,  as  it  asks  and  insures  the  Father's 
blessing  upon  their  testimony  and  the  success  of  their 
Apostolic  ministry.  As  the  history  of  the  Church 
progresses,  those  that  believe  on  Christ  through  the  word 
of  the  Apostles  will  differ  in  nationality,  language,  culture, 
sex  and  age.  But  the  Lord  prays  that,  in  spite  of  these 
natural  and  outward  differences,  they  shall  all  be  one. 
Believing  through  the  word  of  the  Apostles,  they  are  by 
such  faith  united  with  Christ,  and  in  Christ  with  the  Father. 
But  that  same  faith  binds  them  together  in  the  unity  of  the 
Church,  an  organic  unity  with  Christ  as  its  head,  though 
possibly  connected  with  different  outward  organizations. 
Such  unity  is  a  real  oneness  of  life,  resulting  from  the 
fact  that  all  true  believers  have  their  share  in  God's 
life.  It  is  more  than  unity  in  doctrine  and  confession, 
though  it  can  only  be  a  unity  in  the  truth,  in  one  faith, 
one  Lord,  one  Baptism.^  "  What  Christ  prayed  for  in 
this  place.  He  obtained,"  says  John  Gerhard,  ''Since 
then  the  Apostles  are  one  in  unity  of  faith  ;  that  is,  since 
there  is  the  most  perfect  harmony  of  Apostolic  doctrine, 
as  set  forth  in  their  writings,  let  us  hold  fast  by  the 
Apostolic  doctrine  as  the  foundation  of  true  and 
sound  unity  in  the  Church,  for  by  this  will  true  unity 
flourish  among  us  too."  And  Luther  says :  "  We  are 
made  one  thing  with  Christ  and  through  Him  with  the 
Father    also  ;  so   that   just    as   little   as    Christ   can    be 

^  Present,  not  Future,  as  the  received  reading  has  it. 

2  To  blame  those  who  are  zealous  for  the  truth  as  the  basis  of  Christian 
union  is  directly  in  conflict  with  this  whole  prayer  of  the  Lord,  which  recog- 
nizes no  otherinstrumentality  for  the  sanctification,  unification,  and  glorifica- 
tion of  God's  people  than  the  truth  of  God's  word. 


256  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvii.  21-23. 

separated  from  the  Father,  just  so  little  is  it  possible  that 
the  Christian  Church  and  each  individual  member  thereof 
can  be  divided  from  Him,  and  therefore  that  all  is  attached 
and  bound  together,  the  one  to  the  other."  ^ 

This  union  of  believing  Christians  under  one  Lord,  in 
one  Spirit,  is  to  be  a  testimony  before  the  world,  that  it 
may  believe  and  (ver,  23)  that  it  may /^w^tf  that  the  Father 
did  send  the  Son.  This,  after  all,  will  always  be  the  de- 
sire of  the  Lord  concerning  the  world,  that  it  should 
believe  and  be  saved.  (See  John  iii.  17  ;  i.  7.)  And 
with  this  ideal  aim  and  desire  the  Church  is  to  carry  her 
testimony  into  the  world.  Though  the  historical  reality 
in  the  attitude  of  the  world  towards  Christ  and  His 
Gospel  will  never  go  beyond  the  fact :  "  believed  on  in 
the  world"  (i  Tim.  iii.  16). 

The  unification  of  the  believers  appears,  in  verses 
22  and  23,  as  a  feature  of  the  glory  which  they  receive 
from  Christ.  The  glory — I  have  given  unto  them,  that 
they  may  be  one.  Christ  means  not  only  the  salvation  of 
individual  believers  here  and  there,  but  the  bringing 
together  into  an  organic  union  of  a  whole  assembly  of 
believers.  All  the  many  different  members  in  which  His 
grace  has  been  manifested,  represent  the  full  glory  of 
Christ's  Body  only  in  their  union,  for  which  the  Lord  here 
prays. 

Through  all  the  humility  and  lowliness  with  which  our 
Apostle  and  High  Priest  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  first  part  of 
this  prayer,  gave   an    account    of  His    stewardship.  His 

^  "  To  refer  this  sublime  intercessory  prayer,  as  do  Romanists  and  others, 
to  mere  external  unification,  is  not  only  to  externalize  everything,  but  to 
represent  the  all-prevailing  intercession  of  the  God-man  in  a  light  not  much 
higher  than  the  petitions  of  ordinary  men.  When  He  prayed  that  they 
all  might  be  one  He  obtained  what  He  asked."  George  Smeaton,  D.D.,  a 
prominent  theologian  of  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland,  in  a  pamphlet  on 
Scriptural  Union,  Edinburgh,  1871. 


XVII.  24,  25.]  CHAPTER  XVII.  257 

divnne  majesty  has  been  shining  forth  more  and  more 
clearly.  But  the  revelation  of  His  heavenly  majesty 
reaches  its  climax  in  the  24th  verse,  when  the  Son  comes 
before  the  Father  with  that  firm  and  positive  claim  : 
"  Father,  I  ivill  that,  ivhcrc  I  aj)i,  tlicy  also  may  be  ivith  J/r." 
How  different  this  "  I  will  "  from  the  language  used  shortly 
afterwards  in  the  agon)'  of  Gethsemane :  "  Not  what  I 
will,  but  what  Thou  wilt."  The  turning  point  in  the 
High  Priest's  prayer  from  His  lowliness  to  this  bold  and 
majestic  self-assertion  is  to  be  found  in  the  19th  verse  ; 
"  For  their  sakes  I  sanctify  Myself."  On  this  complete 
self-sacrifice,  culminating  in  His  obedience  unto  death, 
rests  His  claim  :  "  Father,  I  will."  (See  also  Philippians 
ii.  6-9,  the  connection  between  the  humiliation  of 
Christ  vers.  6-8,  and  His  exaltation  ver.  9.)  What  He 
demands  as  being  due  Him  from  the  Father  on  account 
of  His  sacrifice  is,  that  His  own  "  may  behold  His  glory," 
which  the  Father  hath  given  Him.  This  alone  is  the 
true  conception  of  the  perfect  glory  and  bliss  of  His 
people  in  the  future  world,  to  behold  Christ's  glory. 
Nothing  else  would  satisfy  them  fully  even  there. 

5.   Conclusion  of  the  High  Priest's  Prayer  (xvii.  25,  26). 

25-26.  O  righteous  Father,  the  world  knew  thee  not,  but  I  knew  thee; 
and  these  knew  that  thou  didst  send  me  ;  and  I  made  known  unto  them 
thy  name,  and  will  make  it  known  ;  that  the  love  wherewith  thou  lovedst 
me  may  be  in  them,  and  I  in  them. 

The  prayer  concludes  with  another  sharp  antithesis 
between  the  world  on  one  side,  and  the  Lord  with  His 
loved  ones  on  the  other,  and  with  an  appeal  to  the 
righteousness  of  the  Father  who  will,  no  doubt,  do  what 
is  right  and  just,  by  the  world  and  the  disciples.  The 
title  "  righteous  Father  "  which  is  only  used  at  this  place 
17 


258  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvil.  25,  26. 

combines  the  two  prominent  attributes  of  God,  on  which 
the  whole  work  of  redemption  is  based  :  His  love  and  His 
justice.  But  it  is  the  latter  on  which  the  emphasis 
rests  in  this  connection.  The  righteousness  of  the  Father 
is  not  known  by  the  world.  It  will  be  the  principal  work 
of  the  Paraclete  to  convict  the  world  in  respect  of  sin 
and  of  righteousness  and  of  judgment  (John  xvi.  8). 
Least  of  all  does  the  world  realize  the  righteousness  of 
God  as  revealed  in  the  Gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
showing  God  as  being  "  just  and  the  justifier  of  him  that 
hath  faith  in  Jesus "  (Romans  iii.  26).  But  the  Son 
knoweth  the  Righteous  Father.  He  knows  how  the 
Father's  righteousness  will  have  to  deal  with  Him,  who 
was  made  sin  for  us,  how  He  will  be  "  smitten  of  God  and 
afflicted;"  how  "the  Lord"  will  "lay  on  Him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all  "  (Isaiah  liii.  4,  6).  The  bitter  cup 
of  Gethsemane  and  the  bloody  cross  of  Calvary  tell  the 
tale  of  that  righteousness,  which  the  Son  had  to  taste. 
And  "  if  they  do  these  things  in  the  green  tree,  what 
shall  be  done  in  the  dry  ?"  (Luke  xxiii.  31). 

But  there  is  a  great  deal  of  consolation  for  the  disciples 
in  this  appeal  to  the  righteous  Father.  The  claim  put 
forth  in  ver.  24,  "  Father,  I  will,"  etc.,  is  sure  to  find  re- 
cognition. The  Father  cannot,  in  justice,  withhold  any  of 
those  great  and  glorious  things  which  the  Son  here  asked 
for  His  believers.  They  know  Him  as  the  Son  of  God 
and  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  They  know  the  Father's 
name  and  will  steadily  grow  in  such  blessed  knowledge. 
They  will  be  perfectly  safe  in  the  Father's  love  and  in  the 
love  of  their  Saviour.  They  may  rest  "  assured  that 
such  petitions  are  acceptable  to  the  heavenly  Father  and 
are  heard  by  Him.  Amen,  Amen,  Yea,  Yea,  it  shall  be 
so  "  (Small  Catechism). 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Triumph  of  Faith  Continued  in  the  History 
OF  the  Passion  and  Resurrection  of  the  Lord. 

It  is  evident  that  the  fourth  Gospel  does  not  intend  to 
give  anything  Hkc  a  complete  account  of  the  Lord's  Pas- 
sion. Even  a  hasty  comparison  merely  of  the  outward 
extent  of  the  narrative  of  John,  with  the  accounts  of 
Matthew,  Mark  and  Luke,  must  at  once  convince  us  of 
this.  The  two  passion-chapters  in  John  have  only  82 
verses  over  against  141  in  Matthew;  119  in  Mark; 
127  in  Luke,  making  in  all  387  verses  in  the  synop- 
tical account  of  Christ's  Passion.  There  is  undoubtedly 
the  design  in  the  record  of  the  fourth  Gospel,  to  sup- 
plement in  some  important  points  the  narrative  of  the 
Synoptists  which  are  supposed  to  be  known  to  the 
readers.  But  there  is  yet  another  idea  pervading  the 
passion-account  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John.  It  is  the 
fundamental  idea,  the  real  theme  of  the  whole  Gospel : 
The  glory  of  the  incarnate  Word,  and  on  the  one  side  the 
faith  that  receives  Him,  on  the  other  the  unbelief  that 
rejects  Him.  This  glory,  lighting  up  with  its  heavenly 
rays  the  darkness  and  humiliation  of  the  passion  and 
the  cross  ;  and  manifesting  itself  particularly  in  that  per- 
fect freedom,  with  which  the  Lord  gives  Himself  up  to 
suffering  and  death  ;  that  faith  of  His  own,  recovering 
itself  from  the  severe  shock   of  those   trying   hours  and 

coming  out  triumphantly,  with   the   full   assurance   that 

259 


26o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  i. 

this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  indeed  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  and  that  believing  in  His  name  they  have  everlast- 
ing life  ;  and  lastly,  the  unbelief  of  Israel,  reaching  its 
climax  in  the  open  surrender  of  every  Messianic  hope  : 
We  have  no  king  but  Caesar  ! 

1.  The  Capture  of  Jesus  (xviii.  i-ii). 
I.  Arrival  of  the  Band  (xviii.  1-3). 

1-3.  When  Jesus  had  spoken  these  words,  he  went  forth  with  his  disci- 
ples over  the  brook  Kidron,  where  was  a  garden,  into  the  which  he  entered, 
himself  and  his  disciples.  Now  Judas  also,  which  betrayed  him,  knew  the 
place  :  for  Jesus  oft-times  resorted  thither  with  his  disciples.  Judas  then, 
having  received  the  band  of  soldiers  and  officers  from  the  chief  priests  and 
the  Pharisees,  cometh  thither  with  lanterns  and  torches  and  weapons. 

From  the  lofty  heights  of  the  last  discourses  of  the 
Lord  (xiv.-xvi.),  from  the  heavenly  peace  pervading 
His  prayer  as  the  High  Priest  (xvii.),  the  fourth 
Gospel  takes  us  with  one  step  into  the  actual  beginning 
of  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  OmJtting  the  agony  in  the 
Garden,  its  passion-history  opens  with  the  account  of  the 
capture  of  the  Lord  in  that  same  garden  of  Gethsemane, 
so  clearly  described  in  the  first  verse,  one  of  the  three 
gardens,  so  prominent  in  the  Scripture,  Eden,  where  sin 
entered  into  the  world,  Gethsemane,  where  it  was  fought 
and  overcome,  Joseph's  garden,  where  it  was  buried  in  the 
tomb.  To  Gethsemane  the  Lord  led  forth  His  disciples 
over  the  brook  Kidron,  not  the  brook  of  Cedars  (as  the 
marginal  note  in  the  R.  V.  suggests),  but  the  dark,  the 
black  brooklet,  which  served  as  a  sort  of  drainage  for  the 
City  of  Jerusalem,  carrying  off  its  impurities  down  to 
the  Dead  Sea.  It  was  the  same  Kidron  which  David 
crossed  when  he  fled  from  rebellious  Jerusalem,  and  his 
ungrateful  son  Absalom,  and   the  treachery  of  Ahitho- 


xviii.  1-4]  CHAPTER  XVI 11.  261 

phel's  counsel ;  the  same  brook  Kidron  into  which,  at  the 
time  of  Hezekiah's  reformation,  "  all  uncleanness  that  they 
found  in  the  temple  of  the  Lord  "  had  been  carried.  To 
the  garden  on  the  left  (or  eastern)  bank  of  the  brook 
Kidron,  at  the  foot  of  the  Mount  Olivet,  Judas,  the  be- 
trayer, led  the  band  of  soldiers,  that  is,  the  Roman  cohort, 
dispatched  for  this  purpose  by  the  Governor,  and  the 
officers  of  the  chief  priests  and  the  Pharisees.  There  is 
an  unmistakable  touch  of  irony  in  the  description  of  this 
powerful  force  arriving  with  lanterns  and  torches  and 
weapons,  to  catch  the  "  Light  of  the  World,"  to  make 
Him  a  prisoner,  who  said  :  "  No  one  taketh  My  life  from 
Me,  but  I  lay  it  down  of  Myself.  I  have  power  to  lay  it 
down  and  I  have  power  to  take  it  again." 

2.  Jesus  Meeting  the  Band  (xviii.  4-9). 

4-9-  Jesus  therefore,  knowing  all  the  things  that  were  coming  upon  him, 
went  forth,  and  saith  unto  them,  Whom  seek  ye  ?  They  answered  him, 
Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  I  am  he.  And  Judas  also, 
which  betrayed  him,  was  standing  with  them.  When  therefore  he  said  unto 
them,  I  am  he,  they  went  backward,  and  fell  to  the  ground.  Again  there- 
fore he  asked  them,  Whom  seek  ye  >  And  they  said,  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
Jesus  answered,  I  told  you  that  I  am  he:  if  therefore  ye  seek  me,  let  these 
go  their  way :  that  the  word  might  be  fulfilled  which  he  spake,  Of  those 
whom  thou  hast  given  me  I  lost  not  one. 

The  manner  in  which  the  Lord  meets  His  captors 
demonstrates  most  forcibly  that  freedom  of  His  action 
which  is  so  .strongly  emphasized  in  the  Gospel  of  John. 
Jesus,  knoiviug  all  the  things  that  were  coming  upon 
Him,  went  forth— "and  saith  unto  them, Whom  seek  ye  ?" 
It  was  the  first  word  of  Jesus,  recorded  in  the  fourth 
Gospel,  addressed  to  those  inquiring  disciples  :  What 
seek  ye  ?  Here  it  is  one  of  His  last  words,  addressed  to 
His  enemies:  Whom   seek  ye?     He  is  the   one  central 


262  '  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  4-6. 

figure  of  the  world's  history,  sought  by  friend  and  foe. 
All  the  misery,  distress  and"  helplessness  of  this  forlorn 
and  benighted  world  seek  Him  as  the  only  helper  and 
physician :  "  Of  whom'  may  we  seek  for  succor  but  of 
Thee,  O  Lord  ?  "  And  all  the  enmity  against  God  and 
His  word  and  salvation  seeks  Him  as  its  central  object  of 
attack,  with  the  fixed  determination  :  "  We  will  not  that 
this  man  reign  over  us  "  (Lukexix.  14).  But  at  the  same 
time  God's  righteous  judgment,  in  dealing  finally  with 
the  sin  of  the  world,  seeks  Him.  As  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  God  once  after  the  fall  called  unto  Adam,  hidden 
under  the  trees  of  the  garden,  "  Where  art  thou  ?  "  so  it 
calls  now  in  this  great  hour  of  reckoning  for  the  second 
Adam,  seeking  Him,  who  was  made  sin  for  us. 

"  I a7n  He  ;  "  this  is  the  Lord's  own  answer  to  that  great 
central  question  :  "  Whom  seek  ye  ?  "  More  than  once 
before  the  Lord  had  made  this  declaration.  But  never 
was  it  spoken  with  more  emphasis  and  majesty  than  here 
at  the  moment  when  the  Lord  gave  Himself  up  unto 
passion  and  death.  "/  ajii  He,''  He  says  to  divine 
justice ;  the  sin,  the  guilt,  all  on  Me  ;  take  Me,  strike  Me 
and  let  these  go  their  way  !  /  am  He,  He  says  to  the 
life-and-light-seeking  world,  your  wisdom,  and  righteous- 
ness, and  sanctification  and  redemption,  the  way,  and  the 
truth,  and  the  life !  /  aju  He,  He  says  also  to  the  en- 
mity and  hatred  of  the  world :  I  am  Jesus  whom  ye  per- 
secute ;  it  will  be  hard  for  you  to  kick  against  the  goads  ; 
ye  shall  yet  see  Him  whom  ye  have  pierced,  "  the  Son  of 
Man  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  power  and  coming  on 
the  clouds  of  heaven."  And  was  not  the  effect  of  this 
"  I  am  He  "  at  this  point  a  clear  foreshadowing  of  the 
hour  of  the  Lord's  final  revelation,  when  before  the  throne 
of  His  majesty  all  his  enemies  shall  be  made  His  foot- 
stool? 


xvili.  10,  II.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  263 


3.  Peter  Striking  zvith  the  Szuord  {x.\\\\.  10,  11). 

lo-ii.  Simon  Peter  therefore  having  a  sword  drew  it,  and  struck  the 
high  priest's  servant,  and  cut  off  his  right  ear.  Now  the  servant's  name 
was  Malchus.  Jesus  therefore  said  unto  Peter,  Put  up  the  sword  into  the 
sheath  :  the  cup  which  the  Father  hath  given  me,  shall  I  not  drinii  it  ? 

Whatever  there  was  to  be,  at  that  point,  of  a  demon- 
stration of  the  Lord's  power,  whatever  of  battle  and  of 
victory,  had  all  been  revealed  and  been  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  enemies  of  Christ  as  they  were  lying  prostrate 
at  His  feet.  Truly  there  was  no  need  of  displaying  any 
physical  force  and  carnal  zeal  on  the  part  of  the  disciples. 
So  far  from  aiding  the  cause  of  their  Master  they  could 
only  hurt  it  by  resorting  to  violence.  We  do  not  believe 
that  Peter  rushed  upon  the  prostrate  enemy  to  enjoy  a 
cheap  and  easy  victory,  by  striking  with  the  sword  those 
whom  the  word  of  His  majesty  had  felled  to  the  ground. 
It  was,  when  the  Master  Himself  had  invited  them  to 
come  forward  and  take  Him  and  let  His  disciples  go, 
when  those  in  the  front  rank  of  the  enemies  having  risen 
to  their  feet,  first  laid  their  hands  upon  Jesus,  then  Peter's 
blood  was  up,  he  threw  himself  upon  them,  striking  down 
the  first  he  met.  Thus  he  intended  to  make  good  his 
word,  and  to  demonstrate  his  devotion  to  the  Master  be- 
yond the  possibility  of  a  doubt.  But  with  this  carnal 
zeal  he  did  all  in  his  power  to  rob  his  Master's  kingdom 
of  its  true  glory,  and  to  make  it  impossible  for  the  Lord 
to  maintain  that  position  before  the  Governor:  "My 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  If  My  kingdom  were  of  this 
world,  then  would  my  servants  fight  that  I  should  not  be 
delivered  to  the  Jews  "  (xviii.  36).  Moreover,  Peter  by  this 
rash  act  of  his  burdened  himself  with  an  evil  conscience, 
which,  in  the  hour  of  his  severe  trial,  will  throw  him  help- 


264  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  10,  11. 

less  into  the  clutches  of  the  enemy.  He  stands  hence- 
forth under  the  fear  of  that  sentence  of  the  Master  Him- 
self:  "All  they  that  take  the  sword  shall  perish  with  the 
sword."  Striking  Peter  is  denying  Peter,  There  is  a  deep 
inward  connection  between  the  two  events.  The  very 
fact  of  his  striking  with  the  sword  at  that  hour  was  a 
denial  of  the  true,  spiritual  nature  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Christ. 

There  are  a  few  touches  in  this  account  of  the  scene  in 
the  Garden,  peculiar  to  the  fourth  Gospel  and  strongly 
marking  its  character  as  one  of  historical  exactness  and 
minuteness.  The  Synoptical  account,  representing  the 
earliest  tradition  of  these  events  in  the  church,  does  not 
mention  Peter's  name,  but  only  speaks  of  one  of  "  them 
that  were  with  Him."  But  the  Gospel  of  John  for  the 
first  time  names  the  disciple,  Simon  Peter;  inserting  the 
old  name  of  the  carnal  man,  who  once  more  asserted  him- 
self in  this  act.  Again  the  name  of  the  High  Priest's 
servant,  Malchus,  is  here  mentioned  for  the  first  time. 

n.  Jesus  before  the  High  Priest  (xviii.  12-27). 
I.  Jesus  Taken  to  Annas  (xviii.  12-14). 

12-14.  So  the  band  and  the  chief  captain,  and  the  officers  of  the  Jews, 
seized  Jesus  and  bound  him,  and  led  him  to  Annas  first  ;  for  he  was  father 
in  law  to  Caiaphas.  which  was  high  priest  that  year.  Now  Caiaphas  was 
he  which  gave  counsel  to  the  Jews,  that  it  was  expedient  that  one  man 
should  die  for  the  people. 

2.  First  Denial  of  Peter  {-KvVn.  15-18). 

15-18.  And  Simon  Peter  followed  Jesus,  and  so  (/A/  another  disciple. 
Now  that  disciple  was  known  unto  the  high  priest,  and  entered  in  with 
Jesus  into  the  court  of  the  high  priest ;  but  Peter  was  standing  at  the  door 
without.  So  the  other  disciple,  which  was  known  unto  the  high  priest, 
went    out   and  spake   unto  her  that  kept  the  door,  and  brought  in  Peter. 


XVIII.  12,  13.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  265 

The  maid  therefore  that  kept  the  door  saith  unto  Peter,  Art  thou  also  one 
of  this  man's  disciples  ?  He  saith,  I  am  not.  Now  the  servants  and  the 
officers  were  standing  there,  having  made  a  fire  of  coals ;  for  it  was  cold  ; 
and  they  were  warming  themselves  :  and  Peter  also  was  with  them,  stand- 
ing and  warming  himself. 

3.  Hearing  of  Jesus  before  Annas  (xviii.  19-24). 

19-24.  The  high  priest  therefore  asked  Jesus  of  his  disciples,  and  of  his 
teaching.  Jesus  answered  him,  I  have  spoken  openly  to  the  world ;  I  ever 
taught  in  synagogues,  and  in  the  temple,  where  all  the  Jews  come  together; 
and  in  secret  spake  I  nothing.  Why  askest  thou  me }  ask  them  that  have 
heard  me,  what  I  spake  unto  them  :  behold  these  know  the  things  which  I 
said.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  one  of  the  officers  standing  by  struck 
Jesus  with  his  hand,  saying :  Answerest  thou  the  high  priest  so.''  Jesus 
answered  him,  If  I  have  spoken  evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil :  but  if  well, 
why  smitest  thou  me  ?  Annas  therefore  sent  him  bound  unto  Caiaphas  the 
high  priest. 

4.  Second  and  Third  Denial  of  Peter  (xviii.  25-27). 

25-27.  Now  Simon  Peter  was  standing  and  warming  himself.  They 
said  therefore  unto  him,  Art  thou  also  one  of  his  disciples  .■'  He  denied, 
and  said,  I  am  not.  One  of  the  servants  of  the  high  priest,  being  a  kins- 
man of  him  whose  ear  Peter  cut  off,  saith.  Did  not  I  see  thee  in  the  garden 
with  him  ?     Peter  therefore  denied  again  :  and  straightway  the  cock  crew. 

There  is  again  an  unmistakable  touch  of  irony  in  this 
account  of  the  actual  capture  of  Christ,  the  fulness  and 
circumstantiality  with  which  all  the  parties  are  enumerated 
who,  having  recovered  their  courage  after  their  ignomin- 
ious prostration,  now  rush  upon  the  Lord,  to  make  sut"e 
of  this  dangerous  man  :  "  the  band,  and  the  chief  captain, 
and  the  officers  of  the  Jews," — Jews  and  Gentiles  united 
in  the  very  first  act  of  physical  violence  to  Christ — seized 
Jesus  and  bound  Him  and  led  Him  to  Annas  first,  who 
was  not  only  the  father-in-law  of  Caiaphas,  but  also,  as  it 
is  generally  supposed,  his  predecessor  in  the  office.  This 
hearing  before  Annas,  who  lived  in  a  separate  wing  of  the 


266  THE  GOSFEL  CF  ST.  JO/JA\  [xviii.  19-21. 

High  Priest's  palace,  is  again  one  of  the  distinctive  features 
of  the  fourth  Gospel,  the  Synoptists  giving  only  the 
official  inquest  before  Caiaphas.  But  the  "  disciple  that 
was  known  to  the  High  Priest,"  that  is  undoubtedly  John, 
had  the  best  opportunity  to  know  about  this.  And  that 
he  was  not  ignorant  of  the  hearing  before  Caiaphas  ap- 
pears clearly  from  the  statement  (ver.  13),  "they  led  Him 
to  Annas  first,"  and  again  from  the  24th  verse,  "Annas 
sent  Him  bound  unto  Caiaphas  the  High  Priest." 

This  preliminary  hearing  before  Annas  and  a  few  mem- 
bers of  the  Sanhedrim  was  not  of  an  official  character. 
No  sentence  was  passed  there,  because  there  was  no 
authority  to  pass  it.  The  purport  of  this  meeting  seems 
to  have  been  to  elicit  some  statement  from  the  Lord  by 
which  He  would  commit  Himself,  and  which  might  be 
used  against  Him  in  the  official  inquiry  that  followed. 
Thus  they  meant  to  make  good  use  of  the  time  which  was 
needed  to  call  a  regular  meeting  of  the  Sanhedrim. 

The  insidious  questions  of  Annas  as  to  His  disciples,  that 
is,  the  formation  of  a  party  of  adherents,  and  as  to  His 
doctrine,  that  is,  the  heresy  with  which  He  is  charged,  in- 
dicate clearly  the  two  lines  on  which  the  prosecution  hoped 
to  make  out  a  case  against  Christ.  Before  the  Roman 
magistrate  He  was  to  be  denounced  as  the  head  of  a 
dangerous  party,  which  at  any  time  might  create  a  politi- 
cal disturbance.  Before  the  Sanhedrim  the  charge  was 
to  be  His  heretical  teaching,  His  blasphemy.  The 
counter-question  of  the  Lord  :  "  Why  askest  thou  Me  ?  " 
and  the  whole  tenor  of  His  response  prove  that  He  did 
not  recognize  any  rightful  authority  of  this  court  of  in- 
vestigation. His  dignified  answer  simply  appeals  to  the 
publicity  of  His  ministry,  and  calls  in  all  the  Jews  as 
witnesses  of  what  He  did  and  taught.  At  the  same  time 
it  strongly  reminds  those  who  were  at  home  in  Old  Tes- 


xvxii.  20-23.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  '  267 

tament  Scripture  of  that  word  put  in  the  mouth  of  the 
Messiah  by  Isaiah  the  prophet :  "  I  have  not  spoken  in 
secret  from  the  beginning,  from  the  time  that  it  was, 
there  am  I,  and  now  the  Lord  God  and  His  Spirit  hath 
sent  Me"  (Is.  xlviii.  16). 

The  rebuke  administered  to  Annas  in  these  words  of 
the  Lord  is  felt  keenly  by  the  whole  company,  and  one  of 
the  officers,  anxious  to  help  his  master  out  of  the  em- 
barrassing situation,  rudely  strikes  the  Lord  in  the  face 
(either  with  the  hand  or  with  a  rod)  a  significant  indica- 
tion of  the  course  which  this  whole  process  of  inquiry  is 
bound  to  take  ;  instead  of  argument  and  testimony,  bodily 
violence,  to  silence  the  mouth  of  this  witness.  But  the 
hour  for  His  final  silence  had  not  yet  come.  He  still 
speaks  to  show  this  offender  his  wrong :  "  If  I  have  spoken 
evil,  bear  witness  of  the  evil ;  but  if  well,  why  smitest  thou 
Me  ?  "  The  question  has  sometimes  been  asked  by  those 
who  are  always  ready  to  criticise  the  Lord,  whether  His 
action  in  this  case  was  in  accord  with  His  own  teaching 
in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount :  "  Resist  not  him  that  is 
evil ;  but  whosoever  smiteth  thee  on  thy  right  cheek, 
turn  to  him  the  other  also."  But  did  Christ  really  refuse 
to  be  smitten  on  the  other  cheek  also  ?  Did  He  not 
willingly,  humbly  and  patiently  offer  His  whole  body  to 
every  stroke  and  torture  which  His  cruel  enemies  chose 
to  inflict  upon  Him  ?  But  whilst  His  hand  did  not  strike 
back.  His  mouth  could  not  and  did  not  keep  silent  at  the 
outrage  which  was  committed.  In  all  meekness,  and  yet 
most  pointedly  and  directly.  He  testifies  against  it,  to 
convince  the  sinner  of  the  error  of  his  ways  and  thus,  if 
it  were  possible,  to  enlighten  his  mind  and  change  his 
heart. 

In  the  order  of  the  three  different  denials  of  Peter  the 
fourth  Gospel  again  exhibits  the   exactness  of  its  chrono- 


268  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  15-18. 

logical  arrangement,  as  compared  to  the  Synoptists. 
Even  Renan  admits  that  everything  is  told  more  fully 
and  explained  more  satisfactorily  in  the  account  given  by 
St.  John. 

We  learn  here,  what  none  of  the  Synoptists  told  us, 
that  through  the  good  services  of  another  disciple,  undoubt- 
edly John  himself,  "  who  was  known  unto  the  High 
Priest,"  Peter  found  admission  into  the  court  of  the 
palace.  Both  had  followed  the  Lord  at  the  same  time  to 
the  same  place  ;  and  yet  no  harm  came  of  it  to  John, 
while  to  Peter  is  threatened  the  very  loss  of  his  soul.  It 
is  the  old  adage  :  Two  men  may  do  the  same  thing  and 
yet  it  is  not  the  same.  John  had  not  the  same  prohibitory 
command  from  the  Lord,  and  therefore  had  a  clear  con- 
science in  following  Him.  He  went  along  as  a  matter  of 
course,  as  the  beloved  disciple,  never  thinking  of  himself 
and  his  personal  safety.  Peter,  as  we  are  told  in  the 
Gospel  of  St.  Luke,  followed  "  afar  off."  He  was  at  a 
distance  from  the  Lord  internally,  as  well  as  outwardly. 
He  was  disregarding  His  express  commandment  by  his 
very  act  of  following  Him.  He  did  it  with  a  divided, 
uncertain,  and  consequently  with  an  uneasy  heart.  He 
still  loved  his  Lord,  but  at  the  same  time  he  was  looking 
out  for  himself.  After  the  repeated  promises  he  had 
made,  he  thought  he  owed  it  to  himself,  to  his  own  repu- 
tation for  manliness  and  truthfulness,  that  he  must  go  with 
Him.  He  had  undertaken  too  much,  as  he  did  on  an- 
other occasion,  when,  leaving  the  boat  in  which  the  others 
were  safe,  he  ventured  to  the  Lord  on  the  water.  Un- 
consciously he  was  already  under  the  curse  of  that  funda- 
mental law  of  God's  kingdom  :  "  Whatever  is  not  of 
faith,  is  sin." 

Again,  Peter  stood  with  the  servants  and  officers  at  the 
fire  and  warmed  himself.     Nowhere  do  we  read  of  John 


XVIII.  25-27.]  CHAPTER  XVIIL  269 

a.s  being  in  this  company  ;  but  Peter  was  there  accepting 
their  hospitaHty  in  the  cold  night  and  trying  to  preserve  his 
incognito  by  appearing  as  cool  and  indifferent  as  possible. 
Think  of  the  sneering  and  slandering,  the  calumnies  and 
blasphemies  against  his  Lord  to  which  Peter  listened  in 
the  company  around  that  fire  !  And  he  never  opened  his 
mouth.  The  confessor,  otherwise  so  quick  and  ready 
with  his  speech,  keeps  silent  in  the  midst  of  his  Master's 
reviling  enemies.  Had  not  Peter  denied  the  Lord  al- 
ready before  he  uttered  one  of  those  terrible  words  ? 

And  now  the  denial  itself.  Never  did  a  greater  fall 
come  from  a  more  trifling  occasion.  It  was  the  simple 
question  addressed  to  Peter,  first  by  the  maid  that  kept 
the  door,  and  afterwards  by  other  servants  and  officers  : 
"  Art  thou  also  like  John,  who  was  there  in  the  palace,  in 
perfect  safety  and  unconcern — one  of  this  man's  dis- 
ciples ?  "  It  was  a  splendid  occasion  for  brave,  heroic 
Peter  to  do  what  he  had  done  so  nobly  before  this,  to 
confess  his  Lord  and  Master  as  the  Son  of  the  living  God, 
and  himself  as  His  devoted  and  believing  disciple.  True, 
it  is  one  thing  to  answer  such  a  question  in  the  presence 
of  the  Lord,  surrounded  by  believing  and  loving  dis- 
ciples, and  another  to  answer  it  in  the  face  of  a  Christ- 
hating,  sneering  world.  And  so  Peter  denied  it  and  said: 
I  am  not !  He  thus  first  denied  himself,  before  he  even 
denied  his  Lord,  and  having  thrown  away  himself,  the 
former  bold  confessor,  it  was  only  a  little  way  to  deny  the 
Lord  directly,  "  I  know  not  this  man  of  whom  ye  speak." 
This  form  of  direct  denial  of  Christ  Himself  is  not  given 
in  John's  account,  which  presents  Peter's  fall  in  the  mild- 
est form,  whilst  the  Gospel  of  St.  Mark,  written  most 
likely  under  Peter's  personal  influence,  narrates  the  fall 
in  the  most  aggravated  manner. 

Was  there  ever  a  greater  triumph  of  Satan  against  the 


270  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  25-27. 

Lord  and  His  Kingdom  than  this  fall  of  Peter?  There 
in  the  hall  before  Annas,  stood  Jesus  appealing,  in  answer 
to  the  questions  about  His  disciples  and  His  doctrine,  to 
those  "  that  heard  Him  "  :  "  Ask  them,  behold  they  know 
what  I  have  said."  And  here  is  the  answer  of  the  fore- 
most of  them  "  that  heard  Him  "  and  who  ought  to  know 
the  Master  and  what  He  said  unto  them.  His  answer 
is:  "lam  not  one  of  His  disciples.  I  know  not  this 
man."  In  striking  Peter,  Satan  most  severely  struck 
the  Lord  Himself.  Had  He  not  said  once  in  answer  to 
Peter's  confession  of  faith  :  "  Thou  art  Peter,  and  upon 
this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church  and  the  gates  of  hell 
shall  not  prevail  against  it  ?  "  Not  prevail  ?  echoes  the 
derisive  laughter  of  triumphant  hell.  Where  is  your 
Peter  now,  where  his  confession,  the  rock  upon  which 
the  Church  is  to  be  built?  Where  is  that  Church  itself? 
Peter  the  head  and  chief  confessor  overthrown  by  the 
casual  remark  of  a  damsel !  What  kind  of  a  church,  what 
sort  of  a  kingdom,  to  be  built  of  such  material  as  this? 
The  Lord's  divinity  denied  by  the  very  man  who  had 
first  confessed  it,  and  thus  the  very  foundation  of  the 
Church  destroyed, — this  is  what  Satan  meant  with  his 
victorious  assault  upon  Peter. 

HL    Jesus    Before    the    Governor    Pilate 
(xviii.  28-xix.  16). 

I.  First  Charge  of  the  Jezvs  (xviii.  28-32). 

28-32.  They  lead  Jesus  therefore  from  Caiaphas  into  the  palace:  and 
it  was  early ;  and  they  themselves  entered  not  into  the  palace,  that  they 
might  not  be  defiled,  but  might  eat  the  passover.  Pilate  therefore  went 
out  unto  them,  and  saith,  What  accusation  bring  ye  against  this  man  ? 
they  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  this  man  were  not  an  evil-doer,  we 
should  not  have  delivered  him  up  unto  thee.  Pilate  therefore  said  unto 
them.  Take  him  yourselves,  and  judge  him  according  to  your  law.     The 


XVIII.  28-32.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  271 

Jews  said  unto  him,  it  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to  death  :  that 
the  word  of  Jesus  might  be  fulfilled,  which  he  spake,  signifying  by  what 
manner  of  death  he  should  die. 

The  struggle  between  the  Jews  and  the  Roman  Gov- 
ernor, by  which  the  former  seek  to  obtain  from  the  latter 
the  sentence  of  death  against  Jesus,  is  most  fully  and 
graphically  described  in  the  fourth  Gospel,  which  is,  par- 
ticularly in  this  scene,  an  indispensable  supplement  to 
the  Synoptists.  We  distinguish  four  different  attempts 
on  the  part  of  the  Jews  to  make  the  Governor  a  tool  for 
the  execution  of  their  designs :  there  is  first  the  general, 
tumultuary  demand  that  the  evil-doer,  delivered  up  to 
the  Governor,  should  be  put  to  death  (28-32).  The  next 
attempt  is  the  political  charge,  that  He  made  Himself 
King  of  the  Jews  (ver.  33--xix.6);  the  third  istheaccusa- 
tion  of  blasphemy,  that  "  He  made  Himself  the  Son  of 
God  "  (xix.  7-12).  The  fourth  and  last  attempt  to  which 
the  Governor  succumbs  is  the  threat :  "  Thou  art  not 
Caesar's  friend  "  (xix.  13-16). 

Pilate  held  the  office  of  Governor  of  Judaea  about  the 
same  length  of  time  as  Caiaphas  that  of  the  High  Priest 
(26-36  A.  D.).  Heusually  resided  in  Caesarea.  At  festival 
seasons  he  came  up  to  Jerusalem,  and  there  made  a 
dazzling  display  of  Roman  splendor.  His  character 
has  been  judged  quite  differently  by  different  writers. 
Some  call  him  haughty,  stubborn,  self-willed.  Others 
speak  of  him  as  a  good  and  efficient  officer.  Serious 
charges  being  brought  against  him  before  Vitellius,  the 
governor  of  Syria,  he  is  said  to  have  taken  his  own  life  in 
exile  under  Caesar  Caligula. 

The  Jews  approach  him  first  with  the  peremptory 
demand  that  he  should  consent  to  become  their  execu- 
tioner. Their  Sanhedrim  having  decreed  that  "  He  is 
worthy  of   death,"     Pilate   is  expected  to   carry  out   the 


272  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  28-33. 

sentence,  even  as  the  church-tribunals  of  inquisition  in 
the  middle  ages,  having  passed  their  sentence  upon  the 
heretic,  delivered  him  up  to  the  sword  of  the  secular 
power,  washing  their  hands  in  innocence  with  the  hypo- 
critical assurance :  "  Ecclesia  non  sitit  sanguinem."  But 
in  this  case  the  Governor  sees  through  their  scheme,  and 
politely  returns  their  prisoner  with  the  sarcastic  remark ; 
"Take  Him  yourselves  and  judge  Him  according  to  your 
law."  It  was  a  painful  humiliation  for  them  to  be  forced 
to  admit :  "It  is  not  lawful  for  us  to  put  any  man  to 
death.-'  With  this  loss  of  the  right  to  inflict  the  penalty 
of  death,  the  Jews  had  actually  lost  their  sovereignty  as 
a  nation  ;  and  it  was  as  bitter  for  them  to  concede  this 
before  the  Roman  Governor,  as  it  had  been  bitter  to  be 
told  by  the  Lord  only  a  few  days  before  this :  "  Render 
unto  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's." 

2.  Jesus  the  King  (xviii.  33-38^). 

33-38''.  Pilate  therefore  entered  again  into  the  palace,  and  called  Jesus, 
and  said  unto  him,  Art  thou  the  King  of  the  Jews  ?  Jesus  answered, 
Sayest  thou  this  of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  concerning  me  ? 
Pilate  answered.  Am  I  a  Jew  .'  Thine  own  nation  and  the  chief  priests  de- 
livered thee  unto  me:  what  hast  thou  done?  Jesus  answered.  My  king- 
dom is  not  of  this  world :  if  my  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would 
my  servants  fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews :  but  now  is 
my  kingdom  not  from  hence.  Pilate  therefore  said  unto  him.  Art  thou  a 
king  then  ?  Jesus  answered.  Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end 
have  I  been  born,  and  to  this  end  am  I  come  into  the  world,  that  I  should 
bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my 
voice.     Pilate  saith  unto  hiin.  What  is  truth  ? 

The  next  point  of  attack  on  the  part  of  the  Jews  is 
indicated  in  this  Gospel  in  the  question  of  Pilate  (ver.  33), 
"Art  Thou  the  King  of  the  Jews?"  But  in  order  to 
make  this  fully  clear  and  intelligible,  John  must  here  be 
supplemented  by  Luke,  who  shows  how  Pilate  was  led  to 


XVIII.  33,  34-1  CHAPTER  XVIII.  273 

ask  this  question  (Luke  xxiii.  2).  The  Jews  had  brought 
the  definite  charge  :  "  We  found  this  man  perverting  our 
nation  and  forbidding  to  give  tribute  to  Caesar,  and  say- 
ing that  He  Himself  is  Christ,  a  King."  And  this  is  fol- 
lowed in  the  Gospel  of  St.  Luke  by  the  same  question, 
which  we  have  here  in  John  :  "  Art  Thou  the  king  of 
the  Jews?"  This  title  could  have  a  double  meaning  in 
the  history  of  those  days.  As  understood  by  the  Roman 
it  naturally  implied  the  idea  of  rebellion  against  Caesar, 
it  was  a  "  king  "  in  the  political  sense  of  the  word.  As 
understood  by  the  believing  Israelite  the  title  had  a 
spiritual  meaning,  designating  the  Messiah,  the  Lord  of 
God's  kingdom,  of  righteousness,  peace  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Spirit,  "  the  righteous  Branch  of  David  who  shall 
execute  judgment  and  justice  in  the  earth  "(Jerem.  xxiii.  5), 
the  "  Prince  of  Peace,  of  whose  government  there  shall 
be  no  end  upon  the  throne  of  David  "  (Isaiah  ix.  6,  7), 
from  whom  the  Roman  Emperor  had  as  little  to  fear  as 
Herod  from  the  babe  in  Bethlehem.  The  Lord,  therefore, 
was  not  ready  without  further  explanation  to  answer  the 
question  as  to  His  kingship  either  in  the  affirmative  or 
in  the  negative.  (See  the  question  of  the  Jews,  x.  24.) 
He  therefore  answered  :  "  Sayest  thou  this  of  thyself,  or 
did  others  tell  it  thee  concerning  Me  ?  " — is  the  term  "  king 
of  the  Jews  "  used  in  the  Roman,  that  is,  the  political 
sense,  or  in  the  Israelitic,  that  is,  the  theocratic  sense  ? 

But  there  is  another  more  important  feature  in  this 
counter-question  of  the  Lord.  It  reveals  the  kindly  per- 
sonal and  pastoral  interest  which  Christ  takes  in  Pilate. 
On  this  memorable  occasion  when  the  Saviour  of  the 
world  is  for  the  first  time  brought  into  direct  contact 
with  the  representative  of  Rome,  He  offers  Himself  even 
to  this  proud  Roman  Governor  as  the  one  great  physician 
of  the  soul.     He  means  to  deal  with  him  pastorally,  as 


274  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xviii.  34. 

He  dealt  with  Nicodemus  and  with  the  Samaritan 
woman.  For  this  reason  the  tables  are  promptly  turned, 
and  when  Pilate  had  called  Jesus  into  the  palace  and 
was  alone  with  Him,  the  accused  at  once  questions  the 
judge  and  inquires  into  his  moral  standing  and  character. 
The  Lord,  who  "  knew  what  was  in  man,"  lays  His  finger 
upon  the  weak  point  in  Pilate's  character.  "  Sayest  thou 
this  of  thyself,  or  did  others  tell  it  thee  concerning  Me?" 
Here  was  the  dangerous  rock  on  which  he  was  ship- 
wrecked, and  here  was  the  danger-signal  and  warning  of 
the  Lord  in  His  very  first  word  addressed  to  Pilate. 
With  all  his  haughtiness  and  conceit,  with  all  his  con- 
sciousness of  the  power  and  authority  of  his  office,  the 
Governor  was  in  danger  of  being  influenced  by  what 
"  others  tell  him  concerning  Christ."  He  lacked  in 
moral  courage  and  determination  to  maintain  what  he 
said  in  this  case  "  of  himself."  Wherever,  throughout 
this  mock-trial,  Pilate  really  spoke  his  own  mind,  it  was 
invariably  the  declaration  of  Christ's  innocence  ;  and 
when,  in  spite  of  this  his  better  conviction,  he  ultimately 
delivered  up  Christ  to  be  crucified,  he  yielded  to  what 
"  others  told  "  him  to  do.  For  this  reason  the  Lord 
means  to  detach  him  from  those  outside  influences.  If 
He  could  only  have  him  alone,  to  speak  to  him  eye  to 
eye,  undisturbed  by  the  insidious  tales  of  the  chief  priests 
and  Pharisees,  Pilate  would  not  be  altogether  inaccessible. 
But  it  is  a  characteristic  feature  of  those  moral  weak- 
lings who  are  least  able  to  form  and  maintain  a  judgment 
of  their  own,  and  most  dependent  on  outside  influence, 
that  they  are  always  over-anxious  to  preserve  the  appear- 
ance of  absolute  freedom  and  independence  in  their  deci- 
sions. While  in  reality  they  are  the  helpless  reed  shaken 
by  the  wind,  the  wave  of  the  sea,  driven  and  tossed  by  the 
storm,  they  pretend  to  be  the  rock,  standing  immovable 


xviii.  35-37]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  275 

amidst  the  foaming  surf.  Thus  the  proud  Roman  will 
not  submit  to  this  pastoral  dealing  on  the  part  of  his 
prisoner.  He  resents  it  with  the  cold  and  haughty : 
"  Am  I  a  Jew?"  and  with  the  formal  and  official  ques- 
tion of  the  judge  to  the  criminal  :  "  What  hast  Thou 
done  ?  "  And  now  the  Lord  "  before  Pontius  Pilate  wit- 
nessed the  good  confession"  (i  Tim.  vi.  13),  affirming 
that  He  is  king  indeed,  and  describing  the  true  character 
of  His  kingdom  :  *'  My  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world :  if 
My  kingdom  were  of  this  world,  then  would  My  servants 
fight,  that  I  should  not  be  delivered  to  the  Jews," — thus 
clearly  maintaining  the  unpolitical  and  even  anti-Jewish 
character  of  His  kingdom.  Pilate  therefore  said  unto 
Him  :  Art  Thou  a  king  then  ?  Jesus  answered  :  Thou 
sayest  it :  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end  I  have  been  born 
— as  the  Son  of  Mary — and  to  this  end  am  I  come  into 
the  world — as  the  Son  of  God — that  I  should  bear  witness 
unto  the  truth.  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth 
My  voice. 

There  He  stands,  the  King  of  truth,  in  a  perishing  world 
of  lies  and  vanities,  declaring,  out  of  the  bosom  of  the 
Father,  the  everlasting  and  saving  truth  of  God.  Before 
Hirn,  they  have  been  seeking  it,  "  if  haply  they  might  feel 
after  Him  ;"  and  now  that  He  has  come,  "the  way,  the 
truth  and  the  life,"  they  criticise  and  reject  Him!  And 
yet :  "  Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  His  voice." 
Wherever  there  is  an  honest  yearning  in  a  human  heart 
for  God's  truth  it  is  bound  to  come  to  Christ,  to  hear 
His  voice. 

What  an  appeal  to  Pilate,  to  his  conscience,  to  the 
human  soul  in  him  !  Was  there  no  spark  of  truth  left  in 
Him  to  be  kindled  by  these  words  of  Jesus?  Was  it  not 
truth  that  Pilate  spoke,  once  and  twice,  and  six  times : 
I  find  no  guilt  in  Him  ?     And  being  conscious  of  this  and 


276  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xvni.  yj,  38. 

witnessing  it  publicly,  should  it  have  been  so  difficult  for 
him  to  "  hear  His  voice  "  ?  But  men  must  first  listen  to 
the  truth  from  above  and  submit  to  it,  before  they  can 
speak  it  and  possess  it.  Thus  their  persons,  their  life,  their 
walk  and  talk,  their  words  and  deeds,  become  purified, 
renewed  through  the  sanctifying  power  of  that  truth. 
They  become  "  truth  "  themselves. 

Pilate,  however,  turns  away  from  the  King  of  truth, 
before  him,  with  the  question  :  "  What  is  truth  ?  "  The 
representative  of  ancient  paganism,  with  all  its  culture  and 
philosophy,  acknowledges  the  complete  loss  and  utter  de- 
spair of  truth  ;  he  thus  declares  the  total  bankruptcy  of 
the  ancient  world.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  three 
Roman  governors,  whom  we  know  somewhat  more  fully 
from  the  New  Testament,  Pilate,  Felix  and  Festus,  all 
meet  the  testimony  of  the  truth  with  the  same  careless- 
ness and  indifference  of  the  worldly  skeptic,  shrugging 
their  shoulders  in  pity  and  contempt  for  such  enthusiasts 
and  martyrs  of  truth  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  Paul  of 
Tarsus.^ 

3.  Jesus  and  Barabbas  (xviii.  38-40). 

38-40.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  went  out  again  unto  the  Jews,  and 
saith  unto  them,  I  find  no  crime  in  him.  But  ye  have  a  custom,  that  I  should 
release  unto  you  one  at  the  passover:  will  ye  therefore  that  I  release  unto 
you  the  King  of  the  Jews?  They  cried  out  therefore  again,  saying,  Not 
this  man,  but  Barabbas.     Now  Barabbas  was  a  robber. 

Being  convinced  of  the  innocence  of  Jesus  and  yet 
lacking  the  courage  to   act  up  to  this  conviction  and  to 

1  There  is  a  great  deal  of  this  Pilate-spirit  in  modern  men,  who,  while 
they  are  constitutionally  afraid  of  the  full  blaze  of  the  truth,  make  so  much 
of  their  everlasting  inquiry  and  search  after  truth.  Cf.  Lessing's  word,  so 
frequently  quoted  and  praised:  "If  the  Almighty,  holding  in  His  right 
hand  truth  itself,  and  in  His  left  search  after  truth,  gave  me  the  choice  be- 


xviii.  3S-40.]  CHAPTER  XVIII.  277 

give  a  decision  in  favor  of  the  prisoner,  Pilate  tries  a 
number  of  methods  to  shift  the  responsibihty  upon 
others,  in  order  to  get  rid  of  Jesus  and  of  the  Jews  with- 
out deciding  between  them.  His  first  attempt  in  this 
line  is  the  sending  of  Christ  to  Herod,  as  recorded  in  St. 
Luke  (xxiii.  6-12).  The  second  is  briefly  referred  to  by 
John  but  more  fully  told  by  the  Synoptists.  It  is  the 
proposition  that  the  people,  according  to  their  custom, 
probably  in  memory  of  their  delivery  from  bondage  in 
Egypt,  should  have  the  release  of  the  prisoner  for  whom 
they  asked.  He  had  no  doubt  that  after  the  enthusiastic 
reception  of  Jesus  on  His  recent  entrance  into  Jerusalem 
He  would  be  the  choice  of  the  multitude,  all  the  more  so, 
as  he  knew,  that  the  chief  priests  and  rulers  had  delivered 
Him  for  envy.  But  in  vain.  The  same  men  who  had 
delivered  Him  up,  persuaded  the  multitude  that  they 
should  ask  for  Barabbas.  They  cried  out  therefore 
saying:  Not  this  man,  but  Barabbas  ! 

tween  the  two,  I  would  humbly  take  the  left  saying  :  '  Give  me  the  search  ; 
full  truth  is  for  Thee  alone !  ' "  The  late  Dr.  Duncan  of  Edinburgh  said 
once  of  this  statement:  "It  contains  the  essence  of  all  devilry.  It  may 
amount  to  the  willingness  to  be  eternally  without  God.  It  is  delight  in  the 
mere  activity  of  the  faculties  that  is  chosen,  the  search  that  is  fearless  and  free, 
unimpeded  and  irrestricted,  forever  to  pursue  an  endless  chase,  to  prove  all 
things,  but  hold  fast  nothing.  It  is  the  maxim  of  eternal  revolt  and  inde- 
pendence."    See  CoUoquia  peripatetica,  5th  ed.,  pp.  35,  36. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

4.  Scourging  and  Mocking  of  the  King  of  the  Jews 
(xix.  1-3). 

1-3.  Then  Pilate  therefore  took  Jesus,  and  scourged  him.  And  the  sol- 
diers plaited  a  crown  of  thorns,  and  put  it  on  his  head,  and  arrayed  him  in 
a  purple  garment ;  and  they  came  unto  him,  and  said,  Hail,  King  of  the 
Jews!  and  they  struck  him  with  their  hands. 

5.  Behold  the  Man  (xix.  4-6). 

4-6.  And  Pilate  went  out  again,  and  saith  unto  them.  Behold,  I  bring 
him  out  to  you,  that  ye  may  know  that  I  find  no  crime  in  him.  Jesus  there- 
rore  came  out,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  purple  garment.  And 
Pilate  saith  unto  them.  Behold,  the  man  !  When  therefore  the  chief  priests 
and  the  officers  saw  him,  they  cried  out,  saying.  Crucify  him,  crucify  hiiri. 
Pilate  saith  unto  them.  Take  him  yourselves,  and  crucify  him  :  for  I  find  no 
crime  in  him. 

Another  attempt  of  Pilate  to  rescue  Christ  from  the 
hands  of  His  cruel  enemies  !  "  He  took  Jesus  and 
scourged  Him  "  and  afterwards  presented  to  them  the 
bleeding  Jesus,  wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the 
purple  garment,  with  the  words  :  "  Behold  the  man." 
The  scourging  as  a  rule  preceded  crucifixion.  It  was  in 
itself  a  punishment  so  severe,  that  in  some  cases  it  ended 
in  death  and  made  crucifixion  superfluous.  Here  Pilate 
inflicts  it  as  a  measure  of  compromise.  He  expects  them 
to  be  satisfied  with  this  cruel  punishment,  which  in  his 
own  opinion  inflicted  far  more  upon  the  prisoner  than 
He  deserved.  There  is  in  fact  a  twofold  attempt  on  the 
part  of  the  Governor  in  this  scene.  Their  merciless  de- 
278 


XIX.  1-6.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  279 

sire  for  the  punishment  and  blood  of  Jesus,  is  to  be  met 
by  the  cruel  scourging.  The  remaining  feeling  of  hu- 
manity and  compassion,  if  there  be  such  a  thing  left  in 
their  hearts,  is  to  be  touched  by  the  presentation  of  the 
bleeding  victim  of  their  persecution,  for  whom  even  the 
heartless  Roman  pleads  mercy  :  "  Behold  the  man  !  " 
What  a  contradiction  and  inconsistency  in  this  double 
act,  first  scourging  the  innocent  as  if  He  were  guilty  ; 
and  then  pleading  for  the  scourged  one  as  if  He  were 
innocent  !  First  gratifying  the  bloodthirsty  beast  with 
a  taste  of  the  blood  that  was  craved,  and  then  appealing 
to  a  human  soul  in  the  beast  that  had  tasted  blood  !  A 
Roman  governor  who  had  gone  so  far  had  really  given 
himself  away  completely.  Henceforth  he  will  be  an  easy 
prey  to  the  cruel  determination  of  the  enemies  of  Christ 
whom  nothing  short  of  death  can  satisfy. 

For  a  moment,  however,  Pilate  seems  as  determined 
not  to  submit  to  their  dictation  as  they  were  to  obtain 
the  penalty  for  Jesus.  Highly  provoked  and  indignant 
over  the  failure  of  his  last  attempt,  the  Governor  meets 
their  inexorable  "  Crucify  Him  "  with  the  stern  irony  : 
"Take  Him  yourselves  and  crucify  Him  ;  for  I  find  no 
crime  in  Him  ;  " — if  there  is  any  meaning  in  this  last 
clause  it  must  be  :  "I  cannot  and  will  not  do  it." 

6.  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  (xix.  7-1 1). 

7-1 1.  The  Jews  answered  him,  We  have  a  law,  and  by  that  law  he  ought 
to  die,  because  he  made  himself  the  Son  of  God.  When  Pilate  therefore 
heard  this  saying,  he  was  the  more  afraid ;  and  he  entered  into  the  palace 
again,  and  saith  unto  Jesus,  Whence  art  thou  ?  But  Jesus  gave  him  no 
answer.  Pilate  therefore  saith  unto  him,  Speakest  thou  not  unto  me  ? 
knowest  thou  not  that  I  have  power  to  release  thee,  and  have  power  to 
crucify  thee?  Jesus  answered  him,  Thou  wouldest  have  no  power  against 
me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above  :  therefore  he  tliat  delivered  me 
unto  thee  hath  greater  sin. 


28o  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  7-10. 

The  Jewish  rulers,  being  aware  that  they  are  checked 
and  repulsed  at  this  point,  try  an  approach  from  another 
side.  Much  against  their  own  wish, — because  it  implied 
the  sacrifice  of  a  great  principle  on  their  part, — they  find 
tliemselves  compelled  at  last  to  bring  the  religious  charge 
of  blasphemy  also  before  the  Governor,  to  whose  domain 
it  certainly  did  not  belong.  "We  have  a  law  and  by  that 
law  He  ought  to  die,  because  He  made  Himself  the  Son 
of  God."  This  law,  they  claim,  has  never  been  interfered 
with  by  the  Romans.  They  have  it  still  and  they  insist 
on  its  being  respected.  It  demands  the  death  of  the 
blasphemer  who  makes  Himself  equal  with  God  !  The 
light-hearted  skeptic,  on  hearing  this,  is  seized  with  su- 
perstitious dread  of  having  before  him  one  of  the  gods 
(as  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  taken  for  Jupiter  and  Mer- 
curius  in  Lystra,  Acts  xiv.  11  ff.).  He  withdraws  from 
the  multitude,  enters  the  palace  again  and  saith  unto 
Jesus  :  "  Whence  art  Thou  ?  "  But  Jesus  gave  him  no 
answer.  Was  it  because  by  telling  the  Governor  the 
truth  on  this  point  He  would  have  made  it  impossible 
for  him  to  pass  the  sentence  of  death  ?  or  was  it  simply 
because  Pilate  by  this  time  had  heard  enough  of  Him  ? 
But  the  silence  of  the  Lord  again  irritates  the  Governor. 
He  feels  deeply  offended  and  bursts  out  in  savage  indig- 
nation :  "  Speakest  Thou  not  unto  me?  Knowest  Thou 
not  that  I  have  power  to  release  Thee  and  have  power 
to  crucify  Thee  ?  "  This  is  no  doubt  the  worst  thing 
Pilate  ever  said,  the  saddest  exhibition  of  the  low  stand- 
ard to  which  the  much  and  deservedly  praised  Roman 
jurisdiction  could  be  degraded,  in  the  hands  of  an  un- 
scrupulous, despotic  governor.  But  I  am  inclined  to  say, 
Pilate  was  not  quite  as  bad  as  this  word  of  his.  If  he 
had  been  satisfied  from  the  beginning  of  having  such 
power,  in  that  absolutely  arbitrary  sense  of  the  w^ord,  he 


XIX.  u.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  281 

would  never  have  troubled  himself  so  much  about  taking 
a  stand  against  the  Jews,  as  he  had  done  up  to  this  point. 
The  answer  of  the  Lord  is  full  of  majesty  and  gentle- 
ness at  the  same  time.  Over  against  the  "  power " 
claimed  by  Pilate,  He  points  to  the  higher  One  who  gave 
it  to  him  from  above.  And  then  the  wonderful  kindness 
and  gentleness,  the  touch  of  hearty  sympathy  with  poor 
Pilate  in  the  words:  "He  that  delivered  Me  unto  thee 
hath  greater  sin."  The  Lord  gives  him  to  understand 
that  He  appreciates  the  difficulty  and  embarrassment  of 
his  position,  and  that  He  knows  where  to  locate  the  moral 
responsibility  in  this  case  with  perfect  impartiality.  He 
tells  him,  what  Pilate  has  been  telling  himself,  that  there 
is  sin,  great  sin  in  this  whole  process.  He  cannot  and 
does  not  exonerate  Pilate.  But  He  knows  also  that 
Pilate  is  not  the  original  instigator  of  this  thing.  It  has 
been  thrust  upon  him  against  his  own  will  and  desire,  and 
all  his  efforts  to  get  rid  of  the  case  have  been  in  vain. 
The  greater  sin  is  with  those  that  delivered  Jesus  to  him, 
Caiaphas,  the  High  Priest  of  that  year,  and  the  rulers  of 
Israel  in  general,  including  the  "  one  of  the  twelve  who 
betrayed  Him." 

7.  CcBsars  Friendship.     The  Governor  Yields  (xix.  12-16). 

12-16.  Upon  this  Pilate  sought  to  release  him  :  but  the  Jews  cried  out, 
saying,  If  thou  release  this  man,  thou  art  not  Caesar's  friend  :  every  one 
that  niaketh  himself  a  king  speaketh  against  Caesar.  When  Pilate  therefore 
heard  these  words,  he  brought  Jesus  out,  and  sat  down  on  the  judgment- 
seat  at  a  place  called  The  Pavement,  but  in  Hebrew,  Gabbatha.  Now  it 
was  the  Preparation  of  the  passover :  it  was  about  the  sixth  hour.  And  he 
saith  unto  the  Jews,  Behold,  your  King!  They  therefore  cried  out,  Away 
with /^?>«,  away  with  him,  crucify  him.  Pilate  saith  unto  them,  Shall  I 
crucify  your  King?  The  chief  priests  answered,  We  have  no  king  but 
Caesar.     Then  therefore  he  delivered  him  unto  them  to  be  crucified. 

This  third  charge  then  of  the  Jews,  introducing  their 


282  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  12-15. 

law  against  blasphemy  is  another  failure.  It  only  had 
the  effect  that  "  Pilate  sought  to  release  Him  "  (ver.  12). 
Consequently  their  last  mine  is  sprung  which  shatters  to 
pieces  the  Governor's  defense  bringing  him  to  uncondi- 
tional surrender.  "  If  thou  release  this  man,  thou  art 
not  Caesar's  friend :  every  one  that  maketh  himself  a 
king,  speaketh  against  Caesar."  They  intimate  that  they 
will  denounce  him  to  the  Emperor  as  one  who  spared  a 
dangerous  rebel,  a  king  of  the  Jews.  And  Pilate  knew 
well  enough,  that  such  a  threat  was  indeed  a  serious 
matter  with  a  ruler  like  Tiberius,  of  whom  the  historians 
(particularly  Suetonius)  say  that  the  laws  concerning 
offences  against  the  majesty  of  Caesar  were  executed  by 
him  in  the  most  cruel  and  unsparing  manner.  Even  the 
good  conscience  of  a  spotless  character  would  have 
offered  poor  chances  of  escaping  the  consequence  of 
such  denunciations.  And  such  a  character  was  not  that 
of  Pilate.  He  therefore  yielded,  and  delivered  Him  unto 
them  to  be  crucified.  But  in  doing  this  against  his  own 
conscience  he  will  at  least  have  the  satisfaction  of  re- 
venging himself  on  these  contemptible  Jews,  after  his 
own  mind.  Sitting  on  the  judgment  seat,  ready  to  pass 
the  final  sentence,  the  Roman  Governor  taunts  the  raging 
Jews  with  the  cruel  sneer:  "Behold  your  king!  Shall  I 
crucify  your  king?"  The  fearful  effect  of  these  words 
upon  the  Jews  reveals  the  crisis  which  had  now  been 
reached  in  the  history  of  that  nation,  the  divine  nemesis 
upon  God's  chosen  people,  who  in  surrendering  their 
Messiah  to  the  Gentiles  actually  dishonored  and  de- 
stroyed their  own  glory  and  life  as  a  nation.  All 
through  this  process,  in  spite  of  their  conceit  and  arro- 
gance ,  they  had  most  ignominiously  lowered  themselves 
before  the  Roman.  The  only  Jew  for  whom  he  showed 
a  particle  of  respect  was  the  prisoner  in  bonds,  Jesus  of 


XIX.  15]  CHAPTER  XIX.  283 

Nazareth.  For  the  rest  of  them  he  had  nothing  but  con- 
tempt, which  grew  all  the  more  bitter  as  he  allowed  him- 
self to  be  dragged  down  to  the  level  of  this  murderous 
crowd.  But  now  he  has  his  revenge.  "  Here  is  what 
you  want.  The  cross  for  your  King  !  Ye  shall  have  it  ! 
Let  the  King  of  the  Jews  be  crucified  !  " 

"  We  have  no  king  but  Caesar  !  " — this  is  the  desperate, 
furious  answer  of  the  Jews.  It  is  the  public  and  formal 
renunciation,  made  on  the  feast  of  the  Passover,  made 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  the  Roman  governor,  of  all 
their  Messianic  hopes  and  expectations.  What  a  judgment 
upon  those  people  who  were  haunted  night  and  day  by 
the  one  thought  and  desire,  how  to  put  an  end  to  Roman 
rule  and  Caesar's  reign,  with  the  help  of  a  Messiah  after 
their  own  heart,  that  they  must  now  be  brought  to  this 
formal,  public  declaration  :  "  We  have  no  king  but 
Caesar."  Of  a  truth  they  had  no  king  but  Caesar.  The 
king  of  Israel,  "  who  had  visited  and  brought  redemption 
for  His  people,  and  had  raised  up  a  horn  of  salvation  for 
them  in  the  house  of  His  servant  David  "  (Luke  i.  68, 
69),  Him  they  rejected,  saying  :  "  We  will  not  have  this 
man  reign  over  us  "  (Luke  xix.  14).  They  have  chosen 
Caesar.  And  Caesar  shall  be  all  that  is  left  to  them, 
Caesar's  sword,  Caesar's  legions,  Caesar's  eagles,  which  are 
hovering  over  them  ready  to  devour  the  carcass  of  what 
had  once  been  God's  chosen  and  beloved  people. 

IV.    The  Execution  (xix.  17-42). 
I.    The  Crucifixion  (xix.  17-18). 

17-18.  They  took  Jesus  therefore:  and  he  went  out,  bearing  the  cross 
for  himself,  unto  the  place  called  The  place  of  a  skull,  which  is  called  in 
Hebrew  Golgotha :  where  they  crucified  him,  and  with  him  two  others,  on 
either  side  one,  and  Jesus  in  the  midst. 


284  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  17,  18. 

Thus  we  have  reached  the  scene  on  Calvary  and  here 
particularly  the  principle  is  to  be  observed,  which  we 
found  in  John's  presentation  of  the  Passion-history  in 
general,  viz.  that  only  a  few,  but  most  significant  and 
characteristic  features  are  given.  "  He  went  out,"^ — "  that 
He  might  sanctify  the  people  through  His  own  blood. 
He  suffered  without  the  gate.  (Let  us  therefore  go  forth 
unto  Him  without  the  camp,  bearing  His  reproach." 
Heb.  xiii.  12.)  The  bearing  of  the  cross  by  Jesus  Him- 
self is  also  one  of  the  features  peculiar  to  John,  while  the 
Synoptists  tell  us  that  when  they  reached  the  outskirts  of 
the  city  the  cross  was  laid  on  Simon  of  Cyrene,  to  carry 
it  after  Jesus.  It  was  customary  to  lead  those  condemned 
to  crucifixion  through  the  most  populous  streets  and 
places  ;  the  criminal  in  chains  preceded  by  a  herald  who 
called  out  the  charge  of  which  he  had  been  found  guilty ; 
frequently  a  tablet  was  tied  round  the  neck  of  the  con- 
demned man,  containing  the  statement  of  his  guilt. 
Crucifixion  itself  was  the  most  ignominious,  and  at  the 
same  time  the  most  painful  and  cruel  death  penalty  that 
could  be  inflicted.  It  was  an  exceedingly  slow  process  of 
torture,  resulting  in  death  at  the  earliest  in  about  twelve 
hours  and  sometimes  not  before  the  third  day. 

2.    TJie  Inscription  on  the  Cross  (xix.  19-22). 

19-22.  And  Pilate  wrote  a  title  also,  and  put  it  on  the  cross.  And  there 
was  written,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews.  This  title 
therefore  read  many  of  the  Jews  :  for  the  place  where  Jesus  was  crucified 
was  nigh  to  the  city  :  and  it  was  written  in  Hebrew,  and  in  Latin,  and  in 
Greek.  The  chief  priests  of  the  Jews  therefore  said  to  Pilate,  Write  not, 
The  King  of  the  Jews ;  but,  that  he  said,  I  am  King  of  the  Jews.  Pilate 
answered,  W^hat  I  have  written  I  have  written. 

All  the  Synoptists  have  a  brief  statement  concerning 
the  title  which  Pilate  wrote  and  put  on  the  cross  :  "  Jesus 


XIX.  19-22.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  285 

of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews,"  but  the  fourth  Gospel 
gives  the  fullest  account  of  the  circumstances  connected 
with  this  inscription,  setting  forth  its  full  significance  both 
for  the  Lord  and  His  enemies.  It  is  evident  that  this 
was  an  afterthought,  occurring  to  Pilate  in  his  burning 
desire  to  have  his  revenge  on  those  men.  to  whom  he  had 
yielded  against  his  conscience.  And  truly  a  greater 
insult  could  not  be  offered  to  them  and  the  people  repre- 
sented by  them,  than  to  fix  over  the  head  of  tliat  man  of 
sorrows,  the  helpless,  naked,  bleeding  outcast,  this  title : 
"  The  King  of  the  Jews."  On  the  day  of  their  highest 
festival,  in  the  midst  of  the  vast  assembly  gathered  in 
Jerusalem  on  that  occasion,  the  defamation  of  the  Jews 
was  thus  publicly  proclaimed  in  the  three  principal 
languages  of  the  ancient  civilized  world  !  No  wonder  the 
chief  priests  of  the  Jews  keenly  felt  the  sting  of  that 
inscription.  But  it  was  the  title  which  they  themselves 
had  fastened  upon  Jesus  ;  and  to  give  it  over  to  the 
shame  of  the  cross  together  with  its  bearer  was  simply  to 
publish,  ratify  and  seal  their  own  declaration  :  "  We  have 
no  king  but  Caesar."  What  was  most  offensive  to  them 
was  the  objective  historical  form  of  that  inscription,  which 
fixed  and  proclaimed  it  for  all  time  as  a  historical  fact, 
that  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews,  was  nailed 
to  the  cross  !  If  it  could  only  be  presented  as  a  statement 
and  imagination  of  His  own,  that  "  He  said  I  am  king  of 
the  Jews,"  a  claim  and  pretension  which  did  not  deserve 
to  be  credited.  They  proposed  this  change  to  the 
Governor,  confidently  expecting  that  he  would  make  no 
difficulty  in  yielding  this  little  point,  having  yielded 
everything  they  wanted.  But  this  time  the  shaking  reed 
is  found  to  be  an  immovable  rock.  "  What  I  have  written 
I  have  written."  If  it  had  not  been  his  spite  against  the 
Jews,  it  was  the  Roman  law  itself,  which  forbade  him  to 


286  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  22. 

alter  one  jot  or  tittle  of  the  formal  and  official  sentence 
thus  published.  Rome  has  spoken.  Rome  has  written. 
And  God  has  spoken  and  God  has  written  through  this 
Governor.  This  writing  shall  abide.  All  the  scribes  and 
doctors  of  Israel  shall  not  alter  this  scripture,  which 
enrols  Pilate  with  Moses  and  all  the  rest,  as  one  of  the 
writers  of  God's  revelation,  even  as  Caiaphas  has  been 
enrolled  with  Isaiah  and  the  others  as  one  of  the  prophets. 
Roman  hands,  by  order  of  Caesar  Augustus,  for  the  first 
time  entered  that  blessed  name  of  Jesus  into  the  lists  of 
the  empire.  Roman  hands  wrote  and  affixed  over  the 
head  of  the  dying  Jesus  the  name  which  is  above  every 
name,  the  one  name  under  heaven  given  among 
men  wherein  we  must  be  saved.  This  title,  John  signi- 
ficantly says,  was  read  by  many  Jews,  and  it  was  written 
in  Hebrew  and  in  Latin  and  in  Greek.  Being  written  it 
was  read.  The  writing  being  finished  the  reading  begins. 
But  the  question  is  :  "  How  readest  thou  ?  "  (Luke  x.  26). 
"  Understandest  thou  what  thou  readest  ?  "  (Acts  viii.  30). 
Being  written  in  Hebrew  and  in  Greek  and  in  Latin,  its 
reading  was  not  confined  to  the  Jews,  but  it  could  be  read 
and  understood  by  the  Gentiles  as  well,  who  happened  to 
be  in  Jerusalem. 

It  was  written  in  Hebrew,  thus  far  the  language  of 
revealed  religion  ;  of  the  patriarchs,  priests  and  kings, 
who  had,  centuries  ago,  been  looking  for  this  king  ;  in 
the  language  of  the  Psalms  and  services  which  sang  of 
Him,  and  prophesied  and  typified  Him  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. 

It  was  written  in  Greek,  the  language  of  wisdom  and 
learning,  of  highest  culture  and  art  in  the  ancient  world, 
the  language  of  the  first  translation  of  the  Old  Testament, 
the  Septuagint. 

It   was  written   in   Latin,   the  language   of   the   ruling 


XIX.  22-24.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  287 

nation,  of  the  great  organizers  and  administrators,  of  order 
and  discipline,  whose  spirit  was  inherited  by  the  Mediaeval 
Church,  which,  in  raising  the  stupendous  structure  of  the 
Roman  Hierarchy,  was  the  most  powerful  instrumentality 
in  bringing  the  Gentiles  to  the  obedience  of  faith. 

Here  then  is  the  first  polyglot  on  the  name  of  the  cru- 
cified Jesus,  a  commentary  to  His  word,  which  we  read 
in  the  12th  chapter,  "  And  I  when  I  am  lifted  up  from  the 
earth  will  draw  all  men  unto  Myself ;  "  an  anticipation  of 
Pentecost,  when  Jews  and  proselytes  and  strangers  heard 
the  disciples  "  speaking  in  their  own  tongues  the  mighty 
works  of  God"  (Acts  ii.  1 1).  The  three  tongues  there  are 
a  prophecy  of  the  three  hundred,  in  which  the  name  of 
Jesus  is  read  and  proclaimed  at  the  present  time. 

3.  Dividing  His  Garments  {^\x..  23,24). 

23-24.     The  soldiers  therefore,  when  they  had  crucified  Jesus,  took  his 
garments,  and  made  four  parts,  to  every  soldier  a  part ;   and  also  the  coat : 
now  the  coat  was  without  seam,  woven  from  the  top  throughout.    They  said 
therefore  one  to  another,  Let  us  not  rend  it,  but  cast  lots  for  it,  whose  it 
shall  be  :  that  the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  which  saith, 
They  parted  my  garments  among  them, 
And  upon  my  vesture  did  they  cast  lots. 
These  things  therefore  the  soldiers  did. 

This  feature  of  the  Passion-history  is  only  very  briefly 
referred  to  by  the  Synoptists,  who  place  it  before  their 
account  of  the  inscription.  But  in  John  the  narrative  is 
much  fuller,  showing  the  hand  of  the  Apostle  who  was 
present  at  the  scene  as  an  eyewitness.  At  the  same 
time  he  points  out  the  significance  of  this  fact  as  a  direct 
and  literal  fulfilment  of  the  22d  Psalm.  The  Synoptists 
have  no  reference  to  this ;  not  even  Matthew,  who  is 
richest  in  references  to  Old  Testament  prophecies  fulfilled 
in  Christ.     (See  the   Revised   Version,   Matt,   xxvii.    35, 


288  TJIE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  25,  26. 

which  sunply  omits  the  reference  to  the  Psahn  as  a  later 
insertion  from  John.) 


4.  Last  Will  of  Mary  s  Son   (xix.  25-27). 

25-27.  But  there  were  standing  by  the  cross  of  Jesus  his  mother,  and 
his  mother's  sister,  Mary  the  luife  of  Clopas,  and  Mary  Magdalene.  When 
Jesus  therefore  saw  his  mother,  and  the  disciple  standing  by,  whom  he 
loved,  he  saith  unto  his  mother,  Woman,  behold,  thy  son !  Then  saith  he 
to  the  disciple,  Behold  thy  mother  !  And  from  that  hour  the  disciple  took 
her  unto  his  own  home. 

Of  the  seven  words  on  the  cross  the  Gospel  of  John 
records  three  :  The  third,  to  Mary  and  John  :  "  Woman, 
behold  thy  Son!  and  behold  Thy  mother!"  the  fifth: 
"  I  thirst,"  and  the  sixth  :  "  It  is  finished."  Matthew 
and  Mark  have  the  fourth  only  :  "  My  God,  My  God  ! 
why  hast  Thou  forsaken  Me?  "  St.  Luke  gives  the  first 
two  and  the  seventh :  "  Father,  forgive  them  for  they 
know  not  what  they  do."  "  Verily  I  say  unto  thee  to- 
day shalt  thou  be  with  Me  in  Paradise,"  and  "  Father, 
into  Thy  hands  I  commend  My  spirit." 

Standing  by  the  cross,  faithful  to  the  last,  fearless  even 
in  the  midst  of  that  sneering  and  reviling  crowd,  we  find 
the  women.  When  Peter  and  James  and  Philip  and 
Andrew,  and  Thomas  and  Nathanael  and  all  the  rest  had 
fled,  the  women  stood,  and  stood  by  the  cross  !  And 
with  them  one  solitary  apostle  of  all  the  twelve,  the  be- 
loved disciple.  It  is  not  necessary  to  refute  the  vagaries 
of  Romish  commentators  who-  try  very  hard  to  prove 
from  Mary's  presence  under  the  cross,  and  from  the  words 
addressed  to  her  by  the  dying  Saviour,  that  she  was  a 
kind  of  assistant  of  the  Lord  in  the  work  of  redemption, 
laboring  with  Him  for  the  salvation  of  mankind.  The 
very  first  word,  the  title  or  address  given   to  her  in  this 


XIX.  26,  27.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  289 

testament  of  her  Son,  overthrows  all  such  theories.  It 
is  the  same  word  "  woman,"  with  which  He  addressed 
her  at  the  marriage  table  in  Cana,  assigning  to  her  her 
proper  position  in  her  relation  to  Himself.  Here  under 
the  cross  she  is  in  an  emphatic  sense  nothing  but  the 
"  woman,"  the  frail,  helpless  woman  that  needs  the  strong 
supporting  arm  of  a  faithful  and  devoted  son.  And  this 
the  Lord  provides  for  her  in  committing  her  to  the  care 
of  His  beloved  John.  Having  made  intercession  even 
for  His  enemies  in  the  first  word  on  the  cross  as  the  High 
Priest  and  having  opened  the  gate  of  Paradise  to  the  dy- 
ing thief  in  the  second,  as  the  King  and  Lord  forever. 
He  now  makes  His  last  will  and  testament  for  Mary  His 
mother.  But  what  can  He  possibly  leave  to  her?  There 
He  hangs  on  the  cross,  stripped  of  everything,  even  His 
garments  divided  among  His  executioners,  nothing  left 
to  Him  that  He  could  leave  to  Mary.  And  yet  there  is 
a  rich  capital,  honestly  earned  by  Him  in  His  life  of  love, 
and  wonderfully  increasing  in  those  very  hours  of  His 
severest  trial  and  passion,  it  is  the  love  of  those  whom 
He  calls  His  own.  It  was  both  His  gift  and  His  com- 
mand that  they  .should  love  one  another  even  as  He  had 
loved  them  unto  death.  Blessed  John  to  whom  the  dy- 
ing Lord  gave  such  an  evidence  of  His  undying  affection 
for  His  beloved  disciple,  that  He  committed  to  his  charge 
His  nearest  and  dearest  on  earth.  Blessed  Mary,  who 
inherited  such  a  rich  legacy  in  the  tender  love  and  care 
of  the  disciple  thus  honored  by  the  Lord  ! 

5.  Death  of  Jesus  (xix.  28-30). 

28-30.     After  this  Jesus,  knowing  that   all   things  are  now  finished,  that 

the  scripture  might  be  accomplished,  saith,  I  thirst.     There  was  set  there  a 

vessel  full  of  vinegar:  so  they  put  a  sponge  full  of  the  vinegar  upon  hyssop, 

and  brought   it    to   his    mouth.     When   Jesus  therefore  had  received  the 

19 


290  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  28-30. 

vinegar,  he  said,  It  is  finished  :  and  he  bowed  his  head,  and  gave  up  his 
spirit. 

The  bodily  sufferings  of  the  incarnate  Word  culminate 
in  the  burning  thirst  which  compels  Him  for  the  last  time 
to  humble  Himself  before  His  enemies  and  murderers, 
and  to  ask  from  them  a  moistening  of  His  parched  lips. 
But  even  this  feature  of  the  Lord's  passion  appears  in 
the  light  of  an  exact  fulfilment  of  scripture  prophecy. 
The  twenty-second  Psalm,  which  the  Lord  has  used  to 
give  expression  to  the  deepest  agony  of  His  soul,  also 
described  the  bodily  suffering  of  the  crucified  Saviour  : 
"  My  strength  is  dried  up  like  a  potsherd  ;  and  my  tongue 
cleaveth  to  my  jaws  "  (Ps.  xxii.  15  ;  cf.  also  Ps.  Ixix.  21,  in 
my  thirst  they  gave  Me  vinegar  to  drink).  There  is  no 
doubt  that  no  other  part  of  the  O.  T,  Scripture  was  so 
much  in  the  mind  of  Christ  during  those  terrible  hours 
when  He  was  suspended  on  the  cross,  as  the  twenty-sec- 
ond Psalm.  In  remembrance  of  this  Scripture  and  in  full 
assurance  that  every  particle  of  it  was  to  be  fulfilled  and 
that  this  fulfillment  was  now  reaching  its  climax,  He 
said:  "I  thirst."  And  this  burning  thirst  of  His  body  at 
the  same  time  typified  the  craving  of  His  soul  to  see 
His  work  finished,  to  bring  salvation  to  a  perishing  world. 
As  it  had  been  His  meat  all  through  this  life  to  do  the 
will  of  Him  that  sent  Him  and  to  accomplish  His  work 
(John  iv.  34),  so  He  was  now  longing  to  be  refreshed  ac- 
cording to  the  word  of  Isaiah :  "  He  shall  see  the  travail 
of  His  soul  and  shall  be  satisfied  "  (liii.  11). 

His  burning  lips  being  moistened  by  the  vinegar  on  the 
sponge,  He  received  strength  to  utter  with  "  a  loud  voice  " 
(as  Mark  distinctly  says,  xv.  37)  the  great  word  of  victory  : 
"  It  is  finished."  All  the  preceding  words  had  their 
special  address  to  which  they  were  directed.  This  one  is 
without  such  an  address  and  yet  its  meaning  and   direc- 


XIX.  30.]  CHAPTER  XIX. 


291 


tion  are  easy  to  understand.  It  is  the  word  of  consumma- 
tion and  victory  in  the  fullest  and  absolute  sense.  It  is 
His  achievement,  His  victory,  and  yet  He  does  not  say  : 
"  I  have  finished  it,"  as  He  had  a  right  to  say,  but,  as  the 
humblest  performer  of  the  greatest  work  for  time  and 
eternity,  He  simply  and  modestly  says :  "  It  is  finished  " 
— the  passion,  the  action,  the  whole  obedience  of  His  life 
even  unto  death,  the  scripture,  with  its  prophecies,  its 
types,  its  law,  its  covenants,  the  will  of  the  Father,  the 
redemption  of  mankind,  all  is  finished.  No  one  can  add 
to  this,  no  one  can  detract  from  this.  Christ  has  fin- 
ished it  and  Christ  alone  !  And  Christ  announces  and 
proclaims  it  to  the  world.  Having  poured  out  His  soul 
unto  death  He  is  entitled  to  be  the  first  herald  and 
preacher  of  the  victory  of  the  cross,  declaring  "  His 
righteousness  unto  a  people  that  shall  be  born,  that  He 
hath  done  it  "  (Ps.  xxii.  31).  Again,  He  says  it  to  the 
Father:  "  It  is  finished,  what  Thou  hast  given  Me  to  do. 
I  glorified  Thee  on  the  earth,  having  accomplished  the 
work  which  Thou  hast  given  Me  to  do  "  (John  xvii.  4). 
Again  :  He  proclaims  His  victory  to  hell  and  all  the 
powersof  Satan  :  It  is  finished  :  Death  where  is  thy  sting? 
Hell,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  Here  is  the  stronger  one  that 
overcame  the  strong  man  fully  armed  and  guarding  his 
court.  He  taketh  from  him  his  whole  armor  wherein  he 
trusted  and  divideth  his  spoils.  The  battle  is  over,  the 
victory  secured.  It  is  finished  !  And  lastly,  this  loud 
voice  of  the  dying  Saviour  goes  up  into  the  heavens  and 
makes  them  resound  with  the  Alleluias  of  those  that 
rejoice  over  one  sinner  that  repented.  It  fills  them  w  ith 
that  song  of  praise  which  shall  not  cease  to  all  eternity  : 
"  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  hath  been  slain,  to  receive  the 
power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  might,  and  honor,  and 
glory,  and  blessing." 


292  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix. 


6.  Piercing  His  Side  (xix.  31-37). 

31-37.  The  Jews  therefore,  because  it  was  the  Preparation,  that  the 
bodies  should  not  remain  on  the  cross  upon  the  sabbath  (for  the  day  of  that 
sabbath  was  a  high  day),  asked  of  Pilate  that  their  legs  might  be 
broken,  and  that  they  might  be  taken  away.  The  soldiers  therefore  came, 
and  brake  the  legs  of  the  first,  and  of  the  other  which  was  crucified  with 
him  :  but  when  they  came  to  Jesus,  and  saw  that  he  was  dead  already,  they 
brake  not  his  legs  :  howbeit  one  of  the  soldiers  with  a  spear  pierced  his 
side,  and  straightway  there  came  out  blood  and  water.  And  he  that  hath 
seen  hath  borne  witness,  and  his  witness  is  true  :  and  he  knoweth  that  he 
saith  true,  that  ye  also  may  believe.  For  these  things  came  to  pass,  that 
the  scripture  might  be  fulfilled,  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken.  And 
again  another  scripture  saith,  They  shall  look  on  him  whom  they  pierced. 

In  the  midst  of  the  deepest  humiliation  of  the  Lord 
the  Gospel  of  St.  John  continues  to  point  out  certain 
features  indicating  His  Messianic  dignity.  The  day  of 
the  Lord's  death  was  "  The  Preparation,"  that  is,  the  day 
before  Sabbath,  and  in  this  case  the  day  before  the  great 
Passover  Sabbath.  The  Jews  therefore  were  anxious 
that  the  bodies  of  the  crucified  men  should  not  be  left 
hanging  on  the  cross.  This  was  the  custom  of  the 
Romans,  who  left  the  bodies  of  crucified  criminals  as  a 
prey  for  wild  beasts.  But  the  Jewish  law  (Deut. 
xxi.  22,  f.)  ordered  that  the  bodies  of  men,  executed  by 
hanging,  should  not  remain  all  night  upon  the  tree,  but 
should  be  buried  that  day,  that  the  land  might  not  be 
defiled.  This  provision  of  the  Mosaic  law  may  properly 
be  applied  to  those  also  who  died  on  the  cross,  "  the 
accursed  tree,"  though  crucifixion  was  not  the  usual  form 
of  capital  punishment  among  the  Jews.  This  then  was 
one  demand,  with  which  the  Jews  appeared  before  Pilate, 
"  that  those  bodies  might  be  taken  away"  before  the  be- 
ginning of  the  great  Sabbath  Day.  But  they  could  not 
be  taken  away,  unless  there  was  ofificial  evidence  of  actual 


XIX.  3^-37-]  CHAPTER  XIX.  293 

death.  To  obtain  this,  they  also  demanded  "  that  their 
legs  might  be  broken."  This  was  also  a  Roman  form  of 
punishment,  not  always  connected  with  crucifixion,  and 
even  not  always  resulting  in  immediate  death.  The 
piercing  with  the  spear  would  have  secured  that  end 
more  promptly,  and  with  much  less  torture  to  the  dying 
criminal.  But  it  seems  the  Jews  were  not  yet  satisfied 
with  the  sufferings  which  their  victim  had  endured  on 
the  cross.  They  asked  for  this  crurifragium  (breaking  of 
the  legs)  as  the  last  bitter  cup  for  Jesus,  in  addition  to  all 
the  torments  heaped  upon  Him  on  that  day.  But  here 
they  were  met  with  a  divine  "  Thus  far  and  no  further." 
Their  demand  was  not  fulfilled  as  far  as  Christ's  person 
was  concerned.  "When  the  soldiers  came  to  Jesus  and 
saw  that  He  was  dead  already,  they  brake  not  His 
legs ;  "  but  one  of  them  pierced  His  side  with  a  spear. 
By  this  unexpected  turn,  for  which  there  was  no  order 
given  by  any  human  commander,  in  a  most  remarkable 
manner  two  prophecies  concerning  the  Messiah,  the 
Lamb  of  God,  find  their  fulfilment  at  the  same  time  \ 
the  one,  referring  to  the  Passover-Lamb  (Exodus  xii.  46), 
"  A  bone  of  him  shall  not  be  broken  ;  "  the  other,  spoken 
by  the  prophet  Zechariah  (xii.  10),  "  They  shall  look  on 
Him  whom  they  pierced."  Though  the  spear  was  thrust 
by  the  hand  of  a  Gentile,  it  was  in  reality  Israel  that  re- 
jected, murdered  and  pierced  the  divine  Messiah.  But, 
says  the  prophet,  the  day  shall  come,  when  they  will 
"  look  on  Him  whom  they  pierced,"  meaning,  not  the 
day  of  judgment,  to  which  Revelation  i.  7  refers,  but 
the  day  of  grace  when  Jerusalem  shall  turn  to  Him  with 
true  repentance  and  anxious  supplications,  as  on  Pente- 
cost when  three  thousand  Israelites  recognized  their 
Saviour  and  Redeemer  in  the  pierced  Christ. 

The  result  of  the  spear  thrust  in  the  Saviour's  side  is 


294  ^^^  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  34. 

fully  described  by  John  :  "  Straightway  there  came  out 
blood  ami  zvatcrJ'  Some  commentators  find  in  this  flow 
from  the  side  of  Jesus  the  natural  result  of  the  breaking  of 
the  pericardium.  But  the  majority  of  theologians  ever 
since  the  patristic  period  hold  that  there  was,  in  this 
flow  of  blood  and  water,  something  not  in  the  line  of  the 
common  laws  of  nature,  but  of  a  miraculous,  supernatural 
character.  "  Christ's  body,"  says  Luther,  "  is  flesh  and 
blood  even  as  our  own  body,  and  dies  ;  but  His  flesh  and 
blood  being  without  sin.  He  dies  in  such  a  manner,  that 
even  in  His  death  there  is  an  indication  of  life.  For 
while  our  blood  in  death  becomes  cold  and  ceases  to 
flow,  in  Christ's  body  it  remains  in  a  fluid  condition." 
This  view  is  essentially  adopted  by  such  modern  com- 
mentators as  Godet,  Grau  and  others.  Certain  it  is  that 
the  eyewitness  John  marks  this  detail  as  one  of  special 
importance  and  significance  for  the  Church.  Even  if  we 
hesitate  to  find  a  direct  connection  between  this  passage 
and  I  John  v.  6  (This  is  He  that  came  by  water  and 
blood,  even  Jesus  Christ ;  not  with  water  only,  but  with 
the  water  and  the  blood), ^  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
the  blood  and  water  from  the  side  of  Jesus  have  a  rich 
symbolic  meaning  for  His  Church.  "  Christ's  blood  is 
the  treasure  of  our  redemption,  the  ransom  and  satisfac- 
tion for  our  sins  "  (i  John  i.  7)  (Luther),  Here  we 
find  the  daily  washing  and  cleansing  from  all  our  iniqui- 
ties, in  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins.  And  these  blessings 
are  conveyed  and  sealed  to  us  through  the  means  of 
grace,  Baptism,  the  Word  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ. 

The  manner  in  which  this  whole  scene  is  described  and 

^  Bugge  finds  here  a  reference  to  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  Christ's 
mediatorial  office  :  His  baptism  in  the  river  Jordan,  and  His  death  on  the 
cross. 


vix.  35-38.]  CHAPTER  XIX.  295 

the  assurance  of  the  writer  that  "  his  witness  is  true  :  and 
he  knoweth  that  he  saith  true,  that  ye  also  may  beheve," 
has  ahvays  and  justly  been  considered  as  one  of  the 
strongest  evidences  of  the  Johannean  origin  of  this 
Gospel,  in  spite  of  the  attempts  of  modern  critics  to 
prove,  at  this  very  point,  a  distinction  between  the  writer 
of  the  Gospel,  and  the  eyewitness  under  the  cross,  the 
Apostle  John. 

7.    TJic  Burial  of  Christ  (xix.  38-42). 

38-42.  And  after  these  things  Joseph  of  Arimathaea,  being  a  disciple  of 
Jesus,  but  secretly  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  asked  of  Pilate  that  he  might  take 
away  the  body  of  Jesus  :  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave.  He  came  therefore, 
and  took  away  his  body.  And  there  came  also  Nicodemus,  he  who  at  the 
first  came  to  him  by  night,  bringing  a  mi.xture  of  myrrh  and  aloes,  about  a 
hundred  pound  zueight.  So  they  took  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  bound  it  in 
linen  cloths  with  the  spices,  as  the  custom  of  the  Jews  is  to  bury.  Now  in 
the  place  where  he  was  crucified  there  was  a  garden  ;  and  in  the  garden  a 
new  tomb  wherein  was  never  man  yet  laid.  There  then  because  of  the  Jews' 
Preparation  (for  the  tomb  was  nigh  at  hand)  they  laid  Jesus. 

The  burial  of  the  Lord  as  described  in  this  section  is, 
as  Calvin  calls  it,  a  fitting  prelude  to  His  glorious  resur- 
rection on  Easter  morning.  The  Jewish  custom  of 
throwing  the  bodies  of  executed  criminals  into  a  common 
ditch  had  to  give  way  to  the  more  humane  Roman 
practice,  which  had  been  particularly  favored  by  Caesar 
Augustus,  of  returning  such  bodies  to  their  friends  and 
families,  whenever  application  was  made  for  them.^  All 
the  four  Evangelists  introduce  Joseph  of  Arimathc-ea  in 
connection  with  the  burial  of  the  Lord.  While  John  only 
speaks  of  him  as  a  secret  disciple  of  Christ,  the  others 
give  additional  details  as  to  his  character,  social  standing, 

1  Tiberius,  it  is  true,  had  been  acting  contrary  to  this  ;  but  in  the  provinces 
the  milder  practice  prevailed  even  during  the  reign  of  that  cruel  emperor. 


296  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xix.  3S,  39. 

wealth,  etc.     He  was  a  rich  man  (Matthew),  a  councillor 

of  honorable  estate  (Mark),  a  good  man  and  a  righteous 

who  was  looking  for  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  who,  as  a 

member  of   the  Sanhedrim,  had  not  consented  to  their 

counsel    and    deed    (Luke).     His    home    had    been    in 

Arimatha^a,    the     Ramah,    or     Ramathaim-Zophim,    on 

Mount  Ephraim,  in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin,  known  in  the 

Old  Testament  as  the  city  of  Samuel.     He  had   moved 

to  Jerusalem  not  many  years  before  these  events,  and  had 

there  secured  the   garden   with  the  burial-place  for   his 

family,  which  had  not  yet  been  used.     Joseph  had  not 

been  present  on  Calvary  during  the  agony  and  death  of 

the  Lord.     He  appeared  on  the  scene  when  all  was  over. 

And  now,  he  had   the  boldness,  as  Mark  says,  to  go  to 

Pilate   and   ask  for  the  body,    thus   professing   himself 

openly   as   a  friend  and   disciple  of  Jesus.     There   was 

hardly  any   risk  in  this  step  as  far  as  his  relation  to  the 

Roman  Governor  was  concerned.     But  it  required  great 

courage    to    do    this,   at    that    time,  in   the    face   of  the 

Pharisees  and  the  Sanhedrim,  of  which  he  was  a  member. 

His  fear  of  the  Jews,  which  had  thus  far  kept  him  from 

a  public   confession   of  Christ,  was  well  grounded.     For 

"they  had  agreed  that  if  any  man  should  confess  Him  to 

be    Christ,   he    should    be   put    out    of  the  synagogue " 

(John  ix.  22).     And   so  he  had  been  one  of  the  "  many 

rulers "    who    "  believed    on    Him,   but,  because    of   the 

Pharisees  they  did  not   confess  it,  lest   they   should  be 

put  out  of  the  synagogue  "  (John  xii.  42).     But  now,  the 

Saviour's  dying  love  has  wrought  this  miracle  in  him,  and 

made  him  the  first  to  cast  away  all  human  considerations 

and  to  come   forward  as  a  bold,  devout  confessor,  when 

Peter  and  Thomas  and  the   rest  had  fled  and  forsaken 

their    Lord.     Nor  is  his  case  the  only  one.     He  is  at 

once  joined  by  Nicodemus,  also  a  councillor,  also,  here- 


XIX.  39-42-]  CHAPTER  XIX.  297 

tofore,  a  secret  disciple  of  Jesus,  who  at  the  first  came  to 
Him  by  night.  Where  the  first  have  become  last,  the 
last  now  become  first.  In  the  most  scrupulous  way 
these  two  men  make  provision  for  the  burial  of  the  Lord, 
buying  linen  and  myrrh  and  aloes,  and  wrapping  the 
body  up  in  those  spices  according  to  the  Jewish  custom 
of  burying.  This  is  emphatically  said  in  distinction  from 
the  Egyptian  custom,  which,  with  its  radical  treatment, 
reduced  the  body  to  a  mummy.  At  the  manger  of  the 
new-born  king  of  the  Jews  the  Magi  from  the  East 
appeared  with  their  treasures  of  gold,  frankincense  and 
myrrh,  to  provide  for  the  journey  to  Egypt.  Here  the 
two  Sanhedrists  appear  with  their  homage  before  the 
dead  king  of  the  Jews,  to  contribute  from  their  wealth 
to  His  last  journey  to  that  silent  tomb  in  Joseph's 
garden. 

Thus  ends  the  passion  of  the  Lord  with  the  dawn  of 
glory  upon  it.  The  Easter-Sun  is  ready  to  rise  over  the 
tomb  which  could  not  hold  its  captive. 


CHAPTER  XX, 

V.  The  Resurrection  of  Jesus  (Ch.  xx.). 

I.  Peter  and Jolin  at  the  Tomb  (xx.  i-io). 

i-io.  Now  on  the  first  day  of  the  week  cometh  Mary  Magdalene  early, 
while  it  was  yet  dark,  unto  the  tomb,  and  seeth  the  stone  taken  away  from 
the  tomb.  She  runneth  therefore,  and  cometh  to  Simon  Peter,  and  to  the 
other  disciple,  whom  Jesus  loved,  and  saith  unto  them,  They  have  taken 
away  the  Lord  out  of  the  tomb,  and  we  know  not  where  they  have  laid 
him.  Peter  therefore  went  forth,  and  the  other  disciple,  and  they  went 
toward  the  tomb.  And  they  ran  both  together  :  and  the  other  disciple  out- 
ran Peter,  and  came  first  to  the  tomb.  And  stooping  and  looking  in,  he 
seeth  the  linen  cloths  lying ;  yet  entered  he  not  in.  Simon  Peter  therefore 
also  cometh,  following  him,  and  entered  into  the  tomb  ;  and  he  beholdeth 
the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the  napkin,  that  was  upon  his  head,  not  lying 
with  the  linen  cloths,  but  rolled  up  in  a  place  by  itself.  Then  entered  in 
therefore  the  other  disciple  also,  which  came  first  to  the  tomb,  and  he  saw, 
and  believed.  For  as  yet  they  knew  not  the  scripture,  that  he  must  rise 
again  from  the  dead.  So  the  disciples  went  away  again  unto  their  own 
home. 

Concerning  the  history  of  the  resurrection  itself  and  its 
first  announcement  through  the  angel  and  the  tomb,  the 
Gospel  of  St.  John  has  nothing  to  say.  It  is  evident 
that  the  Evangelist  is  familiar  with  the  record  of  this 
fundamental  fact  of  Christianity  as  found  in  the  Synop- 
tists.  The  points  with  which  John  supplements  their 
narrative  show  how  utterly  unconcerned  he  is  about  seem- 
ing difficulties  or  disagreements  in  consequence  of  his 
statements.  The  principal  object  with  him  is  in  perfect 
keeping  with  his  whole  Gospel.  The  faith  of  the  disci- 
29S 


XX.  I,  2.]  CHAPTER  XX.  299 

pics  in  their  glorified  and  risen  Lord  is  to  be  shown. 
And  the  prominent  figures  represented  in  this  argument 
are  Mary  Magdalene,  Peter,  John  and  Thomas.  Mary- 
Magdalene  was  Mary  of  Magdala^  on  the  west  coast  of 
the  Lake  of  Galilee,  near  Tiberias  (Matt.  xv.  39).  She 
is  spoken  of  as  the  woman  from  whom  seven  devils  had 
gone  out  (Luke  viii.  2  ;  Mark.  xvi.  9).  Mary  Magdalene 
had  gone  to  the  sepulchre  early  in  the  mcjrning  in  com- 
pany with  the  other  women  ;  each  Evangelist  mentioning 
those  by  name  that  were  to  him  the  most  prominent. 
But  the  testimony  of  all  the  four  Gospels  agrees  in  mak- 
ing her  the  main  figure.  There  is  no  real  conflict  in  the 
different  statements  as  to  the  time  of  their  going  to  the 
sepulchre.  John  says  "  while  it  was  yet  dark,"  Luke,  "  at 
early  dawn,"  Mark,  "  They  came  to  the  tomb  when  the 
sun  w^as  risen."  Considering  the  distance  they  had  to 
go,  the  time  needed  for  their  meeting  each  other,  and 
the  fact  that  the  transition  from  night  to  daylight  is 
very  quick  in  that  latitude,  we  can  readily  understand 
how  Mary  Magdalene  could  have  left  her  house  "  while 
it  was  yet  dark  "  and  reached  the  sepulchre  just  at  sun- 
rise. At  the  sight  of  "  the  stone  taken  away  from  the 
tomb  "  Mary  Magdalene  is  completely  bewildered.  She 
turns  and  runs,  without  waiting  for  consultation  with  the 
other  women,  to  tell  the  chief  disciples  of  this  awful  dis- 
covery. Her  words  to  Peter  and  John  leave  no  doubt 
as  to  the  thought  that  w^as,  at  the  moment,  uppermost  in 

1  In  the  Western  Church,  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  Gregory  the 
Great,  she  was,  without  any  historical  evidence,  identified  with  the  great 
sinner  (Luke  vii.  37-50),  and  this  idea  has  ever  since  been  inseparably  con- 
nected with  her  name,  the  "  Magdalene."  Sometimes  even  Mary  of 
Bethany  was  found  in  that  same  person,  and  thus  three  distinct  women  of 
New  Testament  history  were  thrown  together  into  one  ;  quite  contrary  to 
the  usual  practice  of  Roman  legends,  to  multiply,  rather  than  to  diminish, 
the  number  of  their  Saints  and  their  precious  relics. 


300  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN:  [xx.  2-5. 

her  mind.  "  TJiey  have  taken  away  the  Lord  out  of  the 
tomb."  She  mentions  no  name.  But  we  know  whom 
she  means.  The  Jews,  the  Rulers  and  Pharisees,  in  their 
unrelenting  enmity  against  the  Lord,  have  desecrated 
even  the  quiet  resting-place  of  the  beloved  Master.  They 
have  broken  into  it,  of  course  to  take  away  His  body 
and  cast  it  off,  in  dishonor  and  shame,  somewhere  with- 
out burial  !  "  And  tve  know  not  where  they  have  laid 
Him."  With  these  words  she  clearly  shows  that  she 
was  not  alone  when  that  discovery  was  made.  Others 
were  with  her, — the  very  women  whose  names  are  given 
by  the  Synoptists  ;  and  speaking  of  herself  and  those 
companions  she  says  :  "  We  know  not." 

Though  "  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved  "  is  mentioned 
in  the  second  place,  we  are  inclined  to  think  that  it  was 
to  his  house  she  went,  and  there  she  found  Peter  with 
John.  A  good  place  for  fallen  Peter,  to  be  with  John, 
the  beloved  disciple,  and  with  Mary,  the  mother  of  the 
Lord,  whom  John  had  taken  into  his  house.  And  a 
good  testimony  for  John,  that  he  did  not  shut  out  Peter 
in  the  sorrow  of  his  broken  and  contrite  heart,  but  re- 
ceived him  kindly  and  offered  him  the  sympathy  and 
good  counsel  of  a  true  friend  and  brother. 

The  effect  of  the  astounding  message  which  Mary 
Magdalene  carried  to  these  apostles  was  instantaneous. 
Without  the  slightest  delay  they  start  for  the  sepulchre. 
They  run  both  together,  though  John,  the  younger,  with 
the  easier  conscience,  outruns  Peter,  who,  in  addition  to 
his  years,  is  burdened  with  a  heavy  load  of  sin  and  guilt. 
But  while  John  is  the  first  to  reach  the  tomb,  he  hesi- 
tates to  enter  in.  He  is  filled  with  awe  and  perplexity 
at  the  thought  of  strange  and  conflicting  possibilities. 
Should  His  enemies  really  have  carried  their  hatred  so  far 
as    to    violate    the    sacredness   of    His    tomb,,  as    Mary 


XX.  6-8.]  CHAPTER  XX.  301 

thought?  Or  is  there  another  possibihty  ? — a  heavenly- 
interference?  Meanwhile  Peter  also  arrives.  He  is  the 
practical  man,  of  resolute  action.  Without  losing  time  in 
reflection  or  discussion  with  John,  he  at  once  enters  into 
the  tomb.  He  surveys  the  condition  of  things  in  detail : 
There,  the  linen  cloths  lying,  and  the  napkin,  that  was 
upon  His  head,  not  lying  with  the  linen  cloths,  but  rolled 
up  in  a  place  by  itself.  He  calls  out  this  report  to  John. 
There  is,  then,  no  evidence  of  violence,  or  spoliation ; 
everything  as  orderly  and  undisturbed  as  if  one  had 
quietly  risen  from  his  slumber  and  had  laid  off  these 
cloths  which  were  no  longer  needed.^  Thereupon 
John  also  enters  in  "  and  he  saw  and  believed. " 
What  did  he  believe?  That  "they  had  taken  away 
Christ's  body  "  as  Mary  Magdalene  had  reported  ?  This 
is  the  view  held  by  some  of  our  greatest  commen- 
tators, like  Luther,  Gerhard,  Bengel  and  others.  But 
we  cannot  in  this  case  agree  with  them.  "  Z/V  believed" 
is  entirely  too  strong  and  too  comprehensive  a  term  to 
confine  its  meaning  to  the  acceptance  of  that  statement 
of  Mary.  John  was  the  first  to  believe  the  great  fact  of 
Christ's  resurrection,  on  the  evidence  of  what  "  lie  saw!' 
First  he  saw  and  then  he  believed.  And  in  writing  this 
short,  comprehensive  statement,  John  well  remembered, 
what  Jesus  said  to  Thomas  in  His  criticism  of  the  faith 
of  that  disciple  :  "  Because  thou  hast  seen  Me,  thou  hast 
believed  :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen  and  yet 
have  believed  "  (John  xx.  29).  He  has  therefore  no 
reason  whatever  to  be  particularly  elated  over  this  first 
faith  of  his.  He  is,  indeed,  honest  and  humble  enough 
to  add  another  word  of  criticism  concerning  his  own  and 

^  Bengel  thinks  that  this  proper  adjustment  of  the  linen  and  napkin  in 
the  tomb  was  owing  to  the  ministrations  of  the  angels  who,  even  then, 
were  present  in  the  tomb,  though  unseen  by  Peter  and  John. 


302  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  9,  10. 

Peter's  position  at  that  time.  "  As  yet  they  knew  not 
the  scripture  ;  that  He  must  rise  again  from  the  dead." 
There  was  still,  even  in  John's  case,  a  lack  of  understand- 
ing the  scripture.  And  whatever  there  was  of  faith,  it 
was  not  that  plain,  direct  scripture-faith,  taking  the  word 
and  holding  on  to  it.  It  was  a  faith  that  still  needed  the 
assistance  of  sight,  instead  of  planting  itself  fairly  and 
squarely  upon  the  revealed  word  of  God. 

But  what  of  Peter's  condition  of  mind  at  that  point  ? 
The  statement,  "  He  saw  and  he  believed,"  is  so  clearly 
confined  to  John,  that  we  cannot  possibly  include  Peter 
in  it.  In  Luke  (xxiv.  12)  we  read  :  "  He  departed  to  his 
home  zvondcring  at  what  had  come  to  pass."  And  pos- 
sibly before  he  reached  home  the  Lord  Himself  appeared 
to  him  and  assured  him  of  the  great  fact  which  crowned 
the  work  of  redemption  and  sealed  to  Peter  the  forgive- 
ness of  his  great  sin.  John  also  went  to  his  "  own  home." 
Even  for  him  the  news  of  that  morning  was  overwhelm- 
ing. He  needed  some  time  of  quiet  meditation  and  self- 
collection,  to  realize  in  its  full  extent  what  had  happened. 
And  he  might  rest  assured  that  the  living  Lord  would 
not  be  long  in  demonstrating  to  His  own  disciples  that 
He  was  risen  indeed. 


4.  Mary  Magdalene  {yL-x..  11-18). 

II-18.  But  Mary  was  standing  without  at  the  tomb  weeping:  so,  as  she 
wept,  she  stooped  and  looked  into  the  tomb  ;  and  she  belioldeth  two  angels 
in  white  sitting,  one  at  the  head,  and  one  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of 
Jesus  had  lain.  And  they  say  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  She 
saith  unto  them.  Because  they  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not 
where  they  have  laid  him.  When  she  had  thus  said,  she  turned  herself 
back,  and  beholdeth  Jesus  standing,  and  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus. 
Jesus  saith  unto  her.  Woman,  why  weepest  thou?  whom  seekest  thou? 
She,  supposing  him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto  him,  Sir,  if  thou  hast 
borne  him  hence,  tell   me  where  thou  hast  laid  him,  and  I   will  take  him 


XX.  11-13-]  CHAPTER  XX.  303 

away.  Jesus  saith  unto  her,  Mary.  She  turnetli  herself,  and  saith  unto 
him  in  Hebrew,  Rabboni ;  which  is  to  say.  Master.  Jesus  saith  to  her, 
Touch  me  not ;  for  I  am  not  yet  ascended  unto  the  Father  :  but  go  unto  my 
brethren,  and  say  to  them,  I  ascend  unto  my  Father  and  your  Father,  and 
my  God  and  your  God.  Mary  Magdalene  cometh  and  telleth  the  disciples, 
I  have  seen  the  Lord ;  and  Iktm  that  he  had  said  these  things  unto  her. 

Having  informed  the  two  disciples,  Peter  and  John,  of 
the  condition  of  the  tomb  as  found  by  the  women,  Mary 
Magdalene  herself  returned  to  the  sepulchre  in  Joseph's 
garden,  alone,  not  in  company  with  the  two  Apostles,  who 
were  too  quick  for  her.  She  probably  arrived  at  the  tomb 
after  John  and  Peter  had  left  it.  Certainly  she  was  there 
alone,  after  the  disciples  had  gone  home,  staying  there, 
as  Bengel  says,  "  majori  perseverantia  "  (with  greater  per- 
severance). Her  .state  of  mind  is  that  of  one  completely 
overwhelmed  with  grief,  and  quite  inaccessible  to  any 
other  thought  than  that  of  her  bereavement.  Having 
first  lost  the  living  Christ  in  the  tomb  which  shut  Him  in, 
she  is  now  made  doubly  wretched  by  the  empty  sepulchre, 
having  lost  even  the  dead  Christ  out  of  the  sepulchre. 
Even  the  heavenly  apparition  of  the  two  angels,  like  the 
cherubim  at  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  one  at  the  head  and 
one  at  the  feet,  where  the  body  of  Jesus  had  lain,  makes 
no  impression  whatever  on  her.  There  is  no  sign  of 
astonishment,  or  of  terror,  as  in  the  case  of  the  other 
women  (Mark  xvi.  5).  She  is  so  wrapt  up  in  her 
sorrow  that  she  becomes  indifferent  to  everything.  The 
question  addressed  to  her  by  those  heavenly  guardians  is 
not  so  much  an  expression  of  sympathy,  but  rather  a 
gentle  rebuke  to  her,  like  the  words,  spoken  by  the  angels 
to  the  women  :  "  Why  seek  ye  the  living  among  the 
dead  ?  "  (Luke  xxiv.  5).  There  is  in  reality  no  cause  for 
weeping  at  this  empty  tomb.  Indeed,  if  she  had  found 
the  dead  body  in  the  sepulchre,  then  she  might  have  had 
good  reason  for  her  tears.     In  answer  to  the  question  of 


304  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  13-15. 

the  angels  she  repeats,  in  a  sort  of  mechanical  way  the 
same  dreary  statement,  which  she  had,  before,  carried  to 
the  disciples  :  "  They  have  taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I 
know  not  where  they  have  laid  Him," — with  the  char- 
acteristic little  change,  however,  that  it  is  now  :  "  I  know 
not "  (instead  of  "  we  know  not "),  because  she  is  now 
alone  with  the  angels.  In  her  despondency  she  expects 
no  consolation  from  any  comforter  and,  without  waiting 
for  an  answer,  turns  her  back  to  the  angels,  when  she 
sees  another  figure  facing  her  outside  the  tomb.  This 
time  it  is  Christ  Himself  whom  she  does  not,  at  first, 
recognize ;  her  eyes  veiled  with  tears,  her  heart  with 
despair  and  unbelief,  she  is  looking,  not  for  a  living 
Christ,  but  for  a  corpse.  Moreover  there  must  have  been 
something  strange,  uncommon,  not  heretofore  known  to 
the  disciples,  in  the  manner  and  appearance  of  the  risen 
Lord.  He  is  the  same  and  yet  not  the  same,  like  a  king, 
who  has,  for  a  number  of  years,  done  menial  service  in  a 
foreign  land,  and  is  now  ready  to  take  full  possession  of 
his  kingdom  (Tholuck). 

The  question  of  the  angels  is  repeated  by  the  Lord  : 
"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ?  "  with  the  addition  of  that 
tender  and  sympathetic  "  Whom  seekest  thou  ?  "  in- 
dicating a  knowledge  of  her  personal  longing  for  a  dear 
lost  one.  There  is  a  rich  and  striking  significance  in  these 
very  first  words  from  the  lips  of  the  risen  Saviour : 
"  Woman,  why  weepest  thou  ? "  Not  only  that  the 
weeping  one,  the  one  most  weary  and  heavy  laden,  is 
first  and  specially  remembered  by  the  risen  Lord,^  who 
is  anxious  to  bring  His  peace  to  those  that  need  it  most. 
But  it  is  ivonian,  to  whom  the  joy  and  triumph  of  resur- 
rection is  first  appropriated.     It  is   her  sex   that   is  thus 

1  Cf.  the  message  of  the  angel  to  the  women  :  "  Tell  his  disciples  and 
Peter," 


XX.  15,  1 6.]  CHAPTER  XX.  305 

considered  and  honored  by  the  Lord.  As  woman,  being 
first  beguiled,  had  fallen  into  transgression,  and  had  her 
fullest  share  in  the  misery  and  degradation  resulting  from 
sin  and  death,  she  is  first  to  be  cheered  and  comforted  by 
the  victory  of  the  Saviour  over  sin  and  death.  Mary 
Magdalene,  supposing  Him  to  be  the  gardener,  saith  unto 
Him,  "  Sir,  if  thou  hast  borne  Him  hence,  tell  me  where 
thou  hast  laid  Him,  and  I  will  take  Him  away."  No  name 
— there  is  only  one  of  whom  she  thinks  and  whom  she 
seeks,  and  she  speaks  of  Him  as  if  every  one  must  know 
without  a  question  whom  she  means.  There  is  confusion 
in  every  word  of  hers,  and  deepest  love  and  devotion 
in  every  word.  The  sympathy  of  the  stranger,  "  tiie 
gardener,"  has  touched  her  heart  and  she  confides  her 
trouble  to  him.  We  discover  a  certain  progress  in  a  posi- 
tive and  hopeful  direction,  in  the  new  theory  which  she 
now  advances  concerning  the  disappearance  of  her  Lord's 
body.  Possibly  this  removal  is  not  an  act  of  enemies, 
but  done  by  friendly  hands,  for  some  good  purpose.^ 
But  after  all  what  Lord  is  that  whom  Mary  serves,  if  any 
one  can  "  take  Him  away"  by  guile  or  might?  Or, 
whither  will  she,  frail  woman,  carry  Him  to  keep  Him 
in  a  place  of  safety,  if  this  rock-sealed  tomb  in  the 
garden  of  His  friend  was  no  sufficient  protection? 

But  now  her  Lord  ends  all  this  perplexity  with  one 
word  :  "  Mary."  How  truly  human  this  word  of  recogni- 
tion with  its  gentle  rebuke  and  its  infinite  tenderness! 
The  "  gardener "  reveals  himself  as  the  good  shepherd 
who  had  said  of  His  sheep  (John  x.  4,  27,  28).  "They 
hear  and  know  His  voice,  they  follow  Him  and  no  one 
shall  snatch  them  out  of  His  hand."  With  the  old 
familiar  "  Rabboni  "  she  throws  herself  down  at    Jesus' 

1  Christ  Himself  has  borne  His  body  out  of  the  grave  and  takes  it  up  to 
the  throne  in  heaven.     (Augustine.) 

20 


3o6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  17. 

feet,  to  clasp  them  and  hold  Him,  as  if  she  were  afraid 
that  any  one  might  snatch  Him  out  of  her  hand  !  When 
the  other  women  met  the  Lord  for  the  first  time  after 
His  resurrection,  "They  came  and  took  hold  of  His  feet 
and  worshipped  Him  "  (Matt,  xxviii.  9).  When  the  terri- 
fied and  affrighted  disciples  supposed  that  they  beheld  a 
spirit,  at  the  first  appearance  of  the  Lord,  He  said  to 
them  :  "  See  My  hands  and  My  feet,  that  it  is  I  Myself : 
handle  Me  and  see  ;  for  a  spirit  hath  not  flesh  and  bones, 
as  ye  behold  Me  having  "  (Luke  xxiv.  37-40).  When 
doubting  Thomas  first  met  the  risen  Lord,  Jesus  said 
unto  him  :  "  Reach  hither  thy  finger  and  see  My  hands  ; 
and  reach  hither  thy  hand  and  put  it  into  My  side  :  and 
be  not  faithless  but  believing."  But  when  Mary  Magda- 
lene threw  herself  down  before  her  Lord  in  the  joy  of 
her  impulsive  and  affectionate  heart,  the  Lord  promptly 
checked  that  overflow  of  sentiment  with  His  command  : 
"  Touch  Me  not."  All  the  others  needed  encouragement 
to  come  nearer  and  to  realize  that  their  Lord  was  risen 
indeed.  And  with  all  the  encouragement  they  received, 
they  still  were  conscious  of  the  majesty  of  their  glorified 
Saviour.  The  women  "worshipped"  Him.  Thomas 
said  unto  I^im  :  "  My  Lord  and  my  God  !  "  But  Mary's 
"  Rabboni  "  was  of  a  different  character.  However 
respectful  this  title  may  have  been  in  bygone  days,  it 
fails  to  do  justice  to  the  risen  Lord  who  must  be  recog- 
nized in  His  divine  majesty.  The  former  familiar  inter- 
course based  upon  His  visible  presence,  must  yield  to 
another  relation.  But  to  Mqry  Magdalene  the  concrete 
reality  of  that  visible,  bodily  presence  of  Christ  is  so 
much  even  at  that  moment,  that  she  is  bent  on  re- 
taining this  and  holding  on  to  it,  in  utter  ignorance  of 
the  great  change  that  has  taken  place  through  the  resur- 
rection of  the  Lord. 


XX.  17]  CHAPTER  XX.  307 

"  Touch  Me  not,"  saith  the  Lord,  "  for  I  am  not  yet  as- 
cended unto  the  Father."  The  reference  to  the  ascension 
as  the  closing  and  cuhninating  scene  of  this  glorification 
on  earth  is  clear  enough  in  this  connection,  liut  there  is 
a  difficulty  in  the  combination  of  that  command  with  the 
statement  "  not  yet  ascended,"  and  this  statement  given 
as  the  reason  for  that  command  ("w-w  jdp  (iya^i^-qxa>j.  Is 
it  that  the  Lord  means  to  comfort  and  to  quiet  Mary 
Magdalene  with  the  assurance  that  she  need  not  fear  to 
lose  His  visible,  bodily  presence  as  yet,  inasmuch  as  He 
is  to  stay  yet  for  a  little  while  before  He  will  ascend  to 
the  Father?  But  the  emphasis  in  this  utterance  of  the 
Lord  seems  to  us  to  be  not  on  His  staying  yet  for  a 
while,  but  on  the  announcement  of  His  approaching 
ascension.  Mary  Magdalene  needs  no  assurance  concern- 
ing the  reality  of  Christ's  resurrection.  But  she  does 
need  a  reminder  of  His  ascension  in  the  near  future. 
And  this  is  the  message  she  is  to  carry  to  the  disciples : 
The  risen  Lord  is  not  going  to  stay  with  us  in  this  visible 
and  tangible  bodily  presence,  but  He  will  soon  ascend  to 
the  Father,  thus  consummating  His  glorification.  This 
short  period  of  the  forty  days  between  resurrection  and 
ascension  must  therefore  serve  the  purpose  of  weaning  the 
disciples  from  that  kind  of  intercourse  with  their  Master 
(Rabbi)  which  they  had  hitherto  enjoyed,  and  preparing 
them  for  the  truly  spiritual,  and  yet  at  the  same  time 
most  realistic,  manner  of  grasping,  holding  and  enjoying 
their  Lord  and  God  through  His  Spirit,  His  Word  and 
Sacraments,  by  which  even  the  real  presence  of  His  body 
and  blood  is  secured  to  them. 

The  careful  distinction  made  in  the  words  of  the  Lord 
between  "  My  Father  and  YOUR  Fat/wr,  My  God  and 
YOUR  God,''  is  quite  significant.  Though  it  is  His  life- 
work  to  reveal  the  Father  to  us  and  to   bring  the  way- 


3o3  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  17. 

ward  children  back  to  the  Father,  to  enjoy  the  Father's 
love,  in  the  Father's  house,  though  He  goes  so  far  as  to 
call  the  disciples  His  "  brethren,"  He  never  includes  Him- 
self with  us,  in  speaking  of  God  or  to  God  as  "  Our 
Father."  Whenever  He  refers  to  "the  Father"  in  a 
personal  way  it  is  always  with  the  claim  of  standing  in  a 
peculiar  and  unique  relation  to  the  Father.  As  the  first 
word  of  Jesus  in  the  temple  (Luke  ii.  49)  expressed  His 
determination  of  clinging  to  "the  Father"  in  a  peculiar 
sense,  over  against  the  claims  of  a  purely  human  affection 
(of  Mary  and  Joseph),  so  does  this  emphatic  reference  to 
"  the  Father  "  in  one  of  the  very  last  utterances  of  the 
God-man  on  earth.  Ever  since  Cyrillus,  Ambrose  and 
Augustine,  the  significance  of  these  words  of  Christ  has 
been  marked  and  commented  on  by  the  fathers.^  "  My 
father,"  they  say,  "  by  nature,  yours  by  grace  ;  My  God 
under  whom  I  also  am  as  a  man ;  your  God,  whom  I  re- 
conciled to  you  as  the  mediator  between  you  and  Him." 
There  is  special  tenderness  in  the  name  "  brethren " 
given  to  the  disciples  by  their  risen  Lord.  All  through 
the  shame  and  torture  of  His  passion,  the  Lord  stands 
before  His  captors  and  judges  as  a  true  king,  whom  they 
shall  see  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming 
on  the  clouds  of  heaven  (Matt.  xxvi.  64;  John  xviii.  6). 
But  now,  in  the  glory  of  His  resurrection,  He  calls  His 
disciples  "  brethren."  He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them 
brethren  (Hebrews  ii.  1 1),  though  by  their  desertion  and 
denial  they  had  cut  themselves  loose  from  Him.  He 
brings  them  back  and  binds  them  to  Himself  again  by 
that  precious  name,  thus  being  in  reality  "  the  firstborn 
among   many  brethren  "  (Romans  viii.  29). 

'  Not!  ait  Patrem  nostrum ;  aliter  ergo  meum,  aliter  vestrum  :  natura 
meuin,  gratia  vestrum  ;  Deum  Meum,  sub  quo  et  Ego  sum  homo ;  Deum 
vestrum,  inter  quos  et  ipsum  mediator  sum.     (Augustine.) 


XX.  19-]  CHAPTER  XX.  309 

3.  First  Appearance  before  the  Disciples  (xx.  19-23). 

19-23.  When  therefore  it  was  evening,  on  that  day,  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  and  when  the  doors  were  shut  where  the  disciples  were,  for  fear  of 
the  Jews,  Jesus  came  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and  saith  unto  them,  Peace 
be  unto  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  shewed  unto  them  his  hands 
and  his  side.  The  disciples  therefore  were  glad,  when  they  saw  the  Lord. 
Jesus  therefore  said  to  them  again.  Peace  be  unto  you  :  as  the  Father  hath 
sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.  And  when  he  had  said  this,  he  breathed  on 
them,  and  saith  unto  them.  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost :  whose  soever  sins 
ye  forgive,  they  are  forgiven  unto  them  ;  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they 
are  retained. 

The  sun  of  that  first  Easter-Day  had  gone  down 
already.  It  was  evening,  and,  no  doubt,  late  in  the  eve- 
ning, not  far  from  midnight  ;  for  the  two,  returning  from 
Emmaus  (Luke  xxiv.  33-35),  could  not  have  reached 
Jerusalem  before  a  very  late  hour.  The  little  band  of 
disciples  were  assembled,  probably  in  the  same  upper 
room,  where  the  Lord  had  addressed  to  them  His  part- 
ing discourses.  The  Easter-light  is  still  struggling  against 
the  darkness  of  doubt  and  unbelief  in  their  hearts. 
From  early  morning,  as  the  day  went  on,  one  message 
after  the  other  had  reached  them,  announcing  the  resur- 
rection, but  "  they  believed  not,  their  words  appeared  in 
their  sight  as  idle  talk  "  (Luke  xxiv.  ii).  Their  lack  of 
faith  is  shown  by  their  "  fear  of  the  Jews."  What  had 
the  disciples  of  a  risen  Christ  to  fear  from  the  Jews  ? 
And,  if  their  Lord  was  not  risen,  what  protection  would 
the  closed  doors  afford  against  those  enemies  who  had 
just  succeeded  in  nailing  Christ  to  the  cross  and  sealing 
Him  up  in  the  tomb?  But  with  the  characteristic  incon- 
sistency of  unbelief  "  the  doors  were  shut — for  fear  of 
the  Jews."  And  yet,  with  all  their  lack  of  faith,  the 
disciples  were  gathered  together  that  evening,  in  the 
name   of  their   Lord,  and  they  were    to    experience  the 


3IO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  19. 

blessed  promise  that  "  there  is  He  in  the  midst  of  them  " 
(Matt,  xviii.  20). 

'' Jesus  came  a)id  stood  in  tJie  midst!'  We  can  readily 
dismiss  all  attempts  to  explain  Christ's  entrance  in  a 
natural  way.  The  exact  process  of  His  entering  was  not 
seen  or  closely  observed  by  the  disciples.  All  at  once 
He  stood  among  them.  As  His  glorified  body  had  left 
the  tomb  before  the  stone  was  rolled  away,  so  He  enters 
this  room  while  the  doors  are  shut.  This  proves,  as 
Luther  says,  "that  after  His  resurrection,  in  His  king- 
dom on  earth,  He  is  not  bound  to  time  and  space,  but 
must  be  believed  in  and  known  as  One  who  rules  in  om- 
nipresent might,  and  is  both  willing  and  able  to  be  with 
us  whenever  and  wherever  we  need  it,  notwithstanding 
the  world  and  all  its  power." 

Having  thus  suddenly  appeared  among  the  disciples, 
the  Lord  greets  them  with  the  words  :  "  Peace  be  unto 
youT  It  had  been  one  of  His  last  words  on  the  evening 
before  His  passion  :  "  Peace  I  leave  unto  you  ;  My  peace 
I  give  unto  you  "  (John  xiv.  27),  it  is  the  first  word  at 
their  meeting  again.  As  stated  before,  it  is  the  custom- 
ary Old  Testament  salutation,  which  these  words  con- 
tain. But  even  in  the  mouth  of  a  devout  Israelite  of  old 
it  was  more  than  an  every-day  salutation,  it  was  a  devout 
prayer,  a  benediction,  when  he  said  :  "  Peace  be  unto 
you,"  Out  of  the  fullness  of  the  Covenant-God  he 
wished  for  him  whom  he  thus  saluted,  all  the  blessings, 
the  full  salvation  of  His  kingdom.  But  here,  in  the  mouth 
of  the  risen  Saviour,  this  word  far  surpasses  any  salutation 
ever  used  among  His  people.  The  whole  victory  of  the 
crucified  and  risen  Lord  is  contained  in  this  word.  The 
great  work  of  reconciling  the  world  unto  God  (2  Cor. 
V.  18,  19)  is  accomplished.  This  reconciliation  is  applied 
to  and  conveyed  to  the  disciples  personally.     The  word, 


XX.  20,  21.]  CHAPTER  XX.  31 1 

"  Peace  be  unto  you,"  is  to  them  their  own  personal 
absolution  and  justification,  the  individual  appropriation 
of  Christ's  whole  salvation. 

And  now  "  He  showed  unto  them  His  Jiands  and  His 
side.''  Luke  even  adds:  His  feet.  This  was  done  not 
simply  to  convince  them  of  the  reality  of  His  bodily 
presence,  the  identity  of  His  person,  the  indisputable 
fact  of  the  resurrection  itself;  but  to  prove  the  direct 
connection  between  His  wounds  and  the  peace  which  He 
brought  from  the  sepulchre.  He  has  been  in  battle,  and 
the  peace  He  brings  has  been  dearly  bought  by  His  own 
life-blood.  "  He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions, 
He  was  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastisement  of 
our  peace  was  upon  Him,  and  with  His  stripes  we  are 
healed  "  (Isaiah  liii.  5).  These  very  wounds  were  the 
means  to  accomplish  our  atonement.  And  the  living, 
glorified  Christ  will  always  bear  the  marks  of  that  battle. 
He  will  always  be  known,  and  even  seen  in  eternity,  as 
the  Crucified  One.  We  can  fully  understand  how  the 
heart  of  the  Evangelist  warms  at  the  remembrance  of 
that  scene,  how  the  disciples  were  glad  when  they  saw 
the  Lord,  when  His  promise  was  so  literally  fulfilled  : 
"  I  will  see  you  again  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice." 

Having  thus  assured  them  of  their  personal  forgiveness 
and  salvation,  the  Lord  repeats  the  words:  "Peace  be 
unto  yon ^'  with  reference  to  the  ministry  of  reconciliation 
which  is  committed  to  them.  Being  themselves  children 
of  peace,  they  are  to  be  henceforth  messengers  of  peace. 
As  the  Lord  gave  this  peace  into  the  hearts  of  His 
disciples,  so  they  are  to  carry  it  into  the  hearts  of  men,  by 
preaching  forgiveness  in  the  name  of  the  crucified  and 
risen  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  (See  Isaiah  Hi.  7  ;  Romans  x. 
15.  How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  bring  glad 
tidings  of  good  things.)     In  a  wider  sense  it  is  the  work 


312  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  21,  22. 

of  every  Christian  to  spread  throughout  the  world  the 
news  and  the  poiver  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 
Christians  as  such  are  to  be  "  the  Hght  of  the  world  " 
(Matt.  V.  14).  But  in  a  special  sense  this  charge  is  com- 
mitted to  the  Apostles  and  the  ministers  of  the  word. 
The  institution  of  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel  is  the  direct 
fruit  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ.  ''As  the  Father  hath 
scut  j\Ic,  even  so  send  I  yon.''  The  authority  to  send  forth 
special  commissioners  or  apostles  is  the  same  with  the 
Son  as  it  is  with  the  Father.  And  the  character  of  their 
commission  is  the  same  as  that  of  Christ's,  namely,  to 
bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  They  must  be  willing  to  be 
sent,  even  as  Christ  had  been  sent  by  the  Father.  Their 
duty  as  apostles  must  be  discharged  in  the  same  spirit, 
and  under  the  same  experiences,  as  Christ  Himself  went 
through  in  discharging  His  ofifice  as  the  great  apostle  of 
our  heavenly  calling;  through  the  cross  to  the  crown, 
through  shame  to  glory.  Thus  they  are  to  build  up  a 
spiritual  kingdom,  using  no  carnal  weapons  to  uphold 
and  to  spread  it,  but  simply  preaching  the  Gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  thus  helping  to  deliver  men  from  sin 
and  death. 

When  the  Messiah  Himself  was  "  sent  to  preach  good 
tidings  to  the  meek  "  (Isaiah  Ixi.  i),  "  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord  God  was  upon  Him  ;  the  Lord  had  anointed  Him." 
This  same  Spirit  must  be  upon  the  disciples,  if  they  are 
to  be  sent  even  as  Christ  was  sent  by  the  Father.  He 
therefore  "  breathed  on  tJicni  and  saith  unto  tJievi :  Receive 
ye  the  Holy  Ghost.'"  Another -and  most  emphatic  sign  of 
life  from  the  living  Christ.  He  had  before  pointed  them 
to  His  hands  and  side  and  feet,  to  His  flesh  and  bone, 
and  now  they  feel  even  the  breath  of  His  mouth,  the 
very  life  of  His  soul,  gently  touching  their  cheeks.  This 
"still  small  voice"  of  the  breath  of  the   Lord  will   be 


XX.  22,  23-]  CHAPTER  XX.  313 

swelled,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  to  the  "  rushing  of  the 
mighty  wind  which  filled  all  the  house  where  the  disciples 
were  sitting  "  (Acts  ii.  2).^  They  now  receive  a  sign  and 
pledge,  a  foretaste  of  the  full  gift  of  the  Spirit  that  awaits 
them  on  the  day  of  Pentecost.^ 

In  the  power  of  this  Spirit  of  Christ  the  disciples  are 
to  discharge  their  office  in  the  ministry  of  the  word  in  a 
twofold  direction  :  "  Whose  soever  sins  ye  forgive  they  are 
forgiven  ujito  them  ;  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain  they  are 
retained''  Their  ministry  is  to  be  valid  in  both  direc- 
tions as  to  forgiveness  of  sins  and  retention  of  sins.  On 
whom  then  is  this  power  here  conferred  ?  Is  it  on  a 
special  class  or  order  of  men,  the  clergy,  as  Rome  and 
all  Romanizers  teach  ?  But  when  this  power  was  con- 
veyed by  the  Lord,  the  apostles  were  not  all  present ; 
nor  were  those  present  on  this  occasion  all  apostles. 
John  clearly  distinguishes  between  the  twelve  (ver.  24) 
and  the  disciples  (ver.  19).  And  Luke  tells  us  distinctly 
that  others  were  gathered  with  the  disciples  (Luke  xxiv. 
33)  on  that  evening.  Luther  therefore  is  right  in  saying  : 
"  This  power  is  given  to  all  Christians.  Whosoever  hath  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  him  this  power  is  given,  that  is,  to  him  who 
is  a  Christian.  But  who  is  a  Christian  ?  he  that  believeth. 
He  that  believeth  hath  the  Holy  Spirit.  Every  Christian 
therefore  has  the  power,  claimed  by  Pope  and  Bishops, 
of  forgiving  or  retaining  sins.  Well,  then,  some  might 
say,  we  can  pronounce  absolution,  baptize,  preach,  ad- 
minister communion?    No,  indeed.     St.  Paul  says:   '  Let 

1  One  of  the  many  features  which  prove  that  the  gospel  of  John  is  at  the 
same  time  the  most  realistic  and  the  most  spiritual  of  all. 

2  John  Gerhard  distinguishes  between  three  different  kinds  of  receiving 
the  Spirit  :  First,  for  their  own  personal  sanclification,  the  disciples  had 
received  the  Spirit  already;  second,  for  their  ministerial  office  they  receive 
it  at  this  point;  third,  for  the  miraculous  gifts  with  which  they  are  to  be 
endowed,  they  shall  receive  it  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 


314  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.     ■  [xx.  23. 

all  things  be  done  decently  and  in  order  '  (i  Cor.  xiv. 
40).  We  all  have  this  power,  but  let  no  one  presume  to 
exercise  it  publicly,  except  he  be  called  and  chosen  for 
this  office  by  the  congregration.  But  in  private  we  may 
use  this  power.  If,  for  instance,  my  brother  comes  to 
me,  saying  :  *  Dear  Brother,  I  am  vexed  in  my  conscience, 
give  me  a  word  of  absolution,'  I  am  free  to  do  this  and 
tell  him  the  Gospel,  how  that  he  should  take  hold  of 
Christ's  work,  believing  that  the  righteousness  of  Christ 
is  truly  his  own  ;  and  that  his  own  sins  are  truly  Christ's. 
This  is,  indeed,  the  greatest  service  I  may  do  to  my 
fellowman." 

This  power  is,  of  course  not  to  be  limited  to  the  actual 
word  of  absolution,  in  the  stricter  sense  of  that  term.  It 
includes  the  whole  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  in  the  preach- 
ing and  teaching  of  the  word  and  the  administration  of 
the  sacraments.  Ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  with  excom- 
munication comes  in  under  this  word  only  as  a  last  and 
extreme  measure,  in  the  case  of  those' who  wantonly  and 
stubbornly  resist  the  word  and  means  of  grace. 

4.  Second  Appearance  before  the  Disciples,  incliidiyig 
Thomas  (xx.  24-29). 

24-29.  But  Thomas,  one  of  the  twelve,  called  Didymus,  was  not  with 
them  when  Jesus  came.  The  other  disciples  therefore  said  unto  him,  We 
have  seen  the  Lord.  But  he  said  unto  them.  Except  I  shall  see  in  his 
hands  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails, 
and  put  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe. 

And  after  eight  days  again  his  disciples  were  within,  and  Thomas  with 
them.  Jesus  cometh,  the  doors  being  shut,  and  stood  in  the  midst,  and 
said.  Peace  be  unto  you.  Then  saith  he  to  Thomas,  Reach  hither  thy  finger, 
and  see  my  hands ;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand,  and  put  it  into  my  side ;  and 
be  not  faithless,  but  believing.  Thomas  answered  and  said  unto  him.  My 
Lord  and  my  God.  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  Because  thou  hast  seen  me,  thou 
hast  believed  :  blessed  are  they  that  have  not  seen,  and  yet  have  believed. 


XX.  24-]  CHAPTER  XX.  315 

Thomas  or  Didymus*  (that  is,  "  Twin  "  )  was  not  with 
the  disciples  when  Jesus  came  on  the  day  of  His  resurrec- 
tion. The  Evangelist  seems  to  indicate  that  this  absence 
was  not  purely  accidental,  as  some  think,  on  account  of 
the  greater  distance  of  his  home  (Bengel),  or  because 
he  had  some  very  urgent  business  that  detained  him 
(Grotius).  From  what  we  know  of  the  character  of 
Thomas  we  must  come  to  the  conclusion  that  his  absence 
was  quite  significant.  We  remember  his  words  (John  xi. 
16)  when  the  Lord  announced  His  purpose  after  the 
death  of  Lazarus  of  Bethany,  "  to  go  unto  him."  "  Let 
us  also  go,"  said  Thomas,  "that  we  may  die  with  Him." 
Now  the  very  worst  had  come  to  pass.  Though  Laz- 
arus was  alive  again,  Christ  Himself  had  died,  died  on 
the  cross,  His  hands  and  feet  pierced  by  nails.  His  side 
riven  by  the  spear.  That  dreadful  picture,  with  all  its 
details,  haunts  his  mind.  With  his  deep  affection  for  the 
Lord  and  his  naturally  gloomy  and  melancholy  disposi- 
tion, he  had  fully  tasted  the  very  dregs  of  that  bitter 
cup,  that  after  the  smiting  of  the  Shepherd,  they  should 
be  scattered  every  man  to  his  own  and  should  leave  Him 
alone  (Matt,  xxvi  .31  ;  John  xvi.  32).  A  terrible  feel- 
ing of  isolation  and  loneliness  has  come  over  him.  He 
cannot  believe  the  rumors  of  Christ's  resurrection.  His 
death  is  the  all-absorbing  reality  for  him.  And  with  the 
death  of  Christ  everything  is  lost  to  him.  His  withdrawal 
from  the  company  of  the  Apostles  is  an  acknowledgment 
of  his  utter  despair  and  hopelessness. 

But  the  disciples  do  not  leave  him  alone.  They  re- 
member the  commission  with  which  the  Lord  had  en- 
trusted them  on  the  day  of  His  resurrection.  They  are  to 
be  the  messengers  of  peace  to  all  weary  and  downcast 
hearts.  And  here  is  one  of  their  own  number  who  needs 
this  message  of  peace  first  and  most  of  all.     They  therefore 


3i6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  25. 

hasten  to  him  with  the  news  :  "  We  have  seen  the  Lord.'' 
In  fact,  they  could  say,  and  undoubtedly  did  say,  much 
more  than  that.  They  had  not  only  seen  the  Lord,  they 
had  touched  His  hands  and  His  side,  had  felt  His  breath 
on  their  cheeks,  they  had  heard  His  message  of  peace, 
they  had  received  His  great  commission,  to  go  forth  as 
messengers  of  peace  into  an  unbelieving  world.  All  this 
they  told  Thomas.  But  their  testimony  makes  no  im- 
pression on  him.  "  Whatever  may  have  happened  to 
Christ,  now  it  is  all  over  with  Him.  My  companions  are 
great  fools  to  be  thus  impressed  by  the  talk  of  these 
women  and  the  visions  they  have  seen."  In  these  words 
Luther  forcibly  describes  his  state  of  mind.  He  meets 
the  statements  of  the  disciples  with  the  most  outspoken 
and  determined  incredulity.  It  is  impossible  that  they 
have  seen  anything,  or  that  their  observation  has  been 
correct.  He  will  accept  the  testimony  of  his  own  ten 
fingers  rather  than  that  of  the  ten  Apostles  (VALERIUS 
Herberger).  While  we  must  give  Thomas  credit  for  his 
unreserved  openness  and  honesty,  and  look  upon  this  as  a 
hopeful  feature  in  his  attitude,  showing  the  hidden  wish 
of  his  innermost  heart,  that  he  might  see  and  believe,  we 
cannot  defend  him.  His  case  is  "  as  bad  as  Peter's 
denial  "  (Luther).  He  knew  the  Apostles  and  their  char- 
acter for  veracity.  He  saw  the  great  change  that  had 
come  over  them  since  that  Easter  evening  when  they  had 
seen  the  Lord.  And  yet  he  positively  refuses  to  accept 
their  testimony,  given  with  the  full  assurance  of  their 
Easter-faith  and  Easter-joy.  Yet  he  presumes  to  pre- 
scribe to  the  Lord  Himself  the  exact  conditions  under 
which  He  must  meet  him,  to  cure  him  of  his  unbelief. 
Surely  this  was  a  bitter  and  trying  experience  for  the 
Apostles  themselves,  and  rather  discouraging  for  the 
great  work  of  their  life,  to  be  witnesses  of  the  Crucified 


XX.  25,  26.J  CHAPTER  XX.  317 

and  Risen  One.  What  prospect  had  their  testimony 
before  a  hostile  world  if  one  of  the  twelve  treated  them 
in  this  manner?  And  yet,  the  depression  and  humilia- 
tion for  the  disciples'  hearts  caused  by  this  attitude  of 
Thomas  was  wholesome  and  well  deserved.  When  they 
themselves  had  been  called  upon  to  receive  the  first  news 
of  the  Lord's  resurrection  with  believing  hearts,  they  had 
treated  those  women-messengers  somewhat  after  the  same 
manner.  Their  words  had  "  appeared  in  their  sight  as 
idle  talk  of  unbelief  and  they  disbelieved  them."  Having 
been  delivered  from  this  state  of  unbelief  by  the  personal 
appearance  of  the  Lord  Himself,  they  were  in  a  position 
to  realize  the  difficulties  of  Thomas,  and  to  have  compas- 
sion for  him,  who  thus  far  shut  himself  out  from  the 
Easter  blessing  they  had  received. 

During  the  week  between  Easter  and  the  following 
Sunday  there  were  no  new  apparitions  of  the  Lord.  But 
one  great  point  is  gained  by  the  disciples  in  their  dealings 
with  Thomas,  that  he  at  last  consents  to  meet  once  more 
with  them.^  Thus  he  has  entered  upon  the  road  to  that 
blessing  :  "  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in 
My  name  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them  "  (Matt,  xviii. 
20) ;  instead  of  "  forsaking  the  assembling  of  ourselves 
together"  (Heb.  x.  25). 

The  fact  that  at  this  second  meeting  the  doors  were 
also  shut  must  not  be  explained,  as  the  week  before,  from 
"  fear  of  the  Jews."  For  these  words  are  now  significantly 
omitted.  It  may  have  been  done  by  the  disciples  simply 
to  be  undisturbed  in  their  meeting.     Or  had  they  prayed, 

1  We  doubt  whether  this  meeting  was  arranged  by  the  disciples  to  com- 
memorate the  octave  of  Easter  Day,  as  Luthardt  holds.  The  Church  had 
hardly  reached  that  point  already  in  her  appreciation  of  that  day.  We 
rather  think  that  the  re-appearance  of  the  Lord  on  the  same  day,  a  week 
afterwards,  had  a  direct  influence  toward  making  that  day  henceforth 
"  the  day  of  the  Lord.'' 


3l8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  26,  27. 

and  did  they  hope,  for  a  re-appearance  of  Christ,  for 
Thomas's  sake,  under  exactly  the  same  conditions  as  the 
week  before?  At  any  rate,  the  Lord  honors  the  assembly 
of  His  believing  disciples  by  showing  Himself  to  Thomas 
for  the  first  time  in  their  midst,  and  not  in  a  private, 
separate  appearance,  as  He  had  done  in  Peter's  case.  He 
corroborates  their  testimony  in  every  single  detail  by  ap- 
pearing exactly  in  the  same  manner,  as  they  had  experi- 
enced and  reported  it  to  Thomas  ;  thus  bringing  resistless 
conviction  to  the  doubting  disciple  from  the  very  first 
moment.  For  it  was  altogether  for  Thomas's  sake  that 
the  Lord  appeared  this  time.  The  salutation  "  Peace  be 
unto  you  "  was  chiefly  for  his  unbelieving,  restless  heart. 
The  forgiveness  and  salvation  of  the  Crucified  and  Risen 
Christ  was  thereby  directly  offered  and  imparted  to  him. 
Moreover  there  is  the  overwhelming  evidence  of  Christ's 
omnipresence  and  omniscience  in  the  fullness  and  exact- 
ness with  which  He  takes  up  all  the  conditions  presented 
by  Thomas,  in  his  conversation  with  the  disciples,  but 
never  reported  to  Christ.  Surely  Christ's  treatment  of 
Thomas  is  most  gentle,  kind  and  loving,  and  at  the  same 
time  most  efificient,  turning  the  skeptic  into  the  most  vig- 
orous confessor,  and  thus  establishing  and  strengthening 
the  faith  of  future  believers.  For  Gregory  the  Great 
truly  says :  "  The  unbelief  of  Thomas  has  been  of  more 
use  to  us,  to  help  our  faith,  than  even  the  faith  of  the 
believing  disciples."  And  yet,  the  heavenly  physician 
did  not  refrain  from  using  the  sharp  knife  also  in  the 
treatment  of  His  skeptical  disciple.  Look  at  that  ex- 
quisite irony  in  His  invitation  to  Thomas,  to  see  with  his 
finger  !  "  Reach  hither  thy  finger  and  see  My  hands." 
And  then  that  solemn  warning  :  "  Be  )wt  faithless  but  believ- 
ing,'' or  in  the  strict  language  of  the  original  :  "  Do  not 
become  faithless,  but  believing."     Thomas  still,  with  all 


XX.  27,  28.]  CHAPTER  XX.  319 

the  doubt  and  uncertainty  of  his  mind,  had  a  certain  faith 
in  Christ,  to  whom  he  was  sincerely  attached.  But  now 
his  difficulties  concerning  the  fact  of  the  resurrection 
threatened  to  affect  his  very  faith  in  Christ  Himself. 
Thus  far,  his  unbelief  had  been  only  partial,  concerning 
one  single  fact  in  the  life  of  Christ ;  but,  of  course,  this 
very  fact  which  he  doubts  is  of  fundamental  importance 
for  the  person  and  work  of  Christ.  Therefore  the  direct 
command  and  solemn  warning  of  the  Lord,  which  proves 
that  He  holds  Thomas  responsible  for  his  unbelief. 

John  does  not  indicate  by  a  single  word  that  Thomas 
made  use  of  the  permission  given  him  by  the  Lord  and 
actually  touched  His  hands  and  His  side.  We  do  not 
believe  that  he  did  so,  though  many  of  the  Fathers  from 
Ambrose  to  Gregory  the  Great,  and  even  Calvin  and 
Bengel,  have  entertained  this  view.  Thomas  is  completely 
overwhelmed  by  the  appearance  of  the  Lord,  by  His 
majesty  as  well  as  His  tender  kindness.  He  could  not 
have  handled  Him  in  the  manner  in  which  he  had  intended 
to  do.  The  Lord  had  commanded  him  to  lay  aside  his 
doubts  and  to  become  a  believer.  The  Lord  immediately 
afterward  testified  :  "  Thou  hast  believed."  The  con- 
fession "  My  Lord  and  my  God "  was  a  confession  of 
faith.  Thomas  had  reached  a  point  where  he  could  cheer- 
fully throw  aside  all  his  conditions.  He  does  not  need  to 
touch  or  to  handle,  he  simply  believes.  And  what  he 
now  holds  and  believes  he  expresses  in  this  short  and 
comprehensive  confession :  "  My  Lord  and  viy  God'' 
"  This,"  says  Luther,  "  is  the  power  of  the  resurrection 
of  Christ,  that  Thomas,  formerly  more  stubborn  in  un- 
belief than  all  the  rest,  is  suddenly  changed  into  a  differ- 
ent man,  who  now  fully  confesses,  not  only  that  he  be- 
lieves the  fact  of  Christ's  resurrection,  but  that  Christ  is 
his   Lord,   true    God  and  Man.     Thus  Thomas  is  turned 


320  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  28,  29. 

from  an  unbelieving,  obstinate  and  ignorant  pupil  into  an 
excellent  theologian  and  doctor  who  has  the  correct  and 
proper  knowledge  of  Christ's  person  and  office."  What- 
ever Christ  had  spoken  before  concerning  His  divine  dig- 
nity, now  rises  up  before  Thomas  in  heavenly  clearness 
and  majesty.  He  recognizes  Him  as  truly  Lord  and  God 
from  heaven.  And  this  Lord  and  God  has  said  to  him 
personally  :  "  Peace  be  unto  Thee."  He  is  therefore  not 
against  him,  but  for  him.  And  Thomas  boldly  grasps 
Him  as  his  Saviour  :  "  My  Lord  and  my  God,"  appropri- 
ating unto  himself  all  that  is  Christ's  and  thus  believing 
unto  salvation. 

"  Because  thou  hast  seen  Me  tJiou  hast  believed,''  says  the 
Lord  to  Thomas.  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that 
the  Lord  thus  distinctly  recognizes  the  utterance  of 
Thomas  as  a  confession  of  faith,  and  his  present  state  of 
mind  as  that  of  a  believer.  But  the  words  also  imply  a 
gentle  rebuke  to  Thomas  on  account  of  the  manner  by 
which  he  came  to  his  faith.  Seeing,  of  course,  was  to  a 
certain  degree  indispensable  to  establish  the  faith  of  the 
Church.  There  must  have  been  eyewitnesses  to  the  great 
facts  on  which  our  salvation  depends.  And  their  testi- 
mony is  to  the  present  day  the  means  of  producing  and 
preserving  faith.  But  Thomas  had  discredited  the  testi- 
mony of  just  such  eyewitnesses,  and  had  insisted  on  his 
own  personal  seeing  against  the  fundamental  law  of  God's 
kingdom  that  "  belief  cometh  of  hearing,  and  by  the  word 
of  Christ  "  (Rom.  x.  17).  The  Lord,  therefore,  strongly 
emphasizes  this  great  principle  of  the  New  Testament, 
which  is  henceforth  to  rule  supremely:  "  Blessed  are  they 
that  have  not  seen  and  yet  believed  For  faith  in  its  very 
nature  and  essence  is  the  assurance  of  things  hoped  for, 
the  proving  of  things  not  seen  (Heb.  xi.  i).  And 
"  wc    walk   by   faith   and   not    by  sight "    (2   Cor.   v.    7). 


XX.  29-31]  CHAPTER  XX. 


321 


The  object  of  such  blessed  faith  in  this  context,  when  the 
word  "  beHeve  "  is  used  absolutely  without  modification, 
cannot  be  anything  but  the  Christ,  in  whom  Thomas  had 
thus  learned  to  believe,  the  incarnate  Word,  the  crucified 
and  risen  Saviour. 

We  have  thus  been  led  by  the  hand  of  the  Evangelist 
to  a  point  where,  in  the  confession  of  Thomas,  the  whole 
Gospel  itself  seems  to  have  reached  its  culmination. 
Throughout  the  various  scenes  in  which  St.  John  has 
shown  us  the  incarnate  Logos,  between  the  unbelieving 
world  that  rejects  Him  and  the  believers  that  receive 
Him,  there  is  none  that  represents  a  more  glorious 
triumph  of  the  God-man,  none  that  contains  such  a  full 
recognition  and  such  unreserved  homage  to  Him,  as  this 
crowning  confession  from  the  mouth  of  skeptical  Thomas  : 
My  Lord  and  my  God,  With  this  the  Gospel-narrative 
properly  ends. 

5.  Conclusion  (xx.  30,  31). 

30-31.  Many  other  signs  therefore  did  Jesus  in  the  presence  of  the  dis- 
ciples, which  are  not  written  in  this  book :  but  these  are  written,  that  ye 
may  beUeve  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God;  and  that  beheving  ye 
may  have  life  in  his  name. 

The  Evangelist  has  reached  the  end  of  his  narrative,  and 

as  he  is  ready  to  lay  down  his  pen  he  looks  back  over  the 

whole  life  of  Christ  and  the   many  signs  "  He  did  in  the 

presence  of  His  disciples."     This  reference  is  by  no  means 

to  be  confined  to  the  events  narrated  in  the   last  chapter, 

as  if  the  "  other  signs  "  meant  additional  apparitions  of 

the  risen  Lord  before  His  disciples.     St.  John  refers  to 

such  other  miracles  as  have  been  recorded  by  the  Synop- 

tists.     Out  of  their  great  number  only  a  few   have  been 

told  by  John.     And  those  have  been  selected  and  written 

for  a  twofold    purpose  of  proving  to  the  readers  that 
21 


322  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xx.  31. 

Jesus  is  the  Christ  the  Son  of  God,  and  of  communicating 
to  them  eternal  life  through  faith  in  His  name.  This 
Gospel  itself,  as  written  by  John,  is  a  monument  of  the 
Holy  Spirit's  work  of  glorifying  Christ.  In  all  the  deeds 
and  discourses  of  the  Lord  which  it  contains,  it  shows 
that  He  is  indeed  the  only-begotten  Son  of  the  Father, 
full  of  grace  and  truth.  The  very  existence  and  the  whole 
character  of  this  fourth  Gospel  verifies  the  promise  of 
Christ,  that  the  Paraclete  should  guide  the  disciples  into 
all  truth  (xvi.  13).  Its  comprehensive  testimony  of  the 
God-man  is  thus  recorded  that  men  may  believe.  The  last 
word  of  Christ,  up  to  this  point,  and  the  last  word  of  the 
Evangelist  speak  oi  faith.  Why  do  we  believe?  not  be- 
cause we  have  seen  the  Lord  with  the  eyes  of  our  body, 
as  Thomas  and  the  disciples  did,  but  because  we  have 
their  written  record  concerning  the  person  and  work  of 
Christ,  they  themselves  and  the  Holy  Spirit  with  them 
bearing  witness  of  Him.  And  what  do  we  believe?  Not, 
in  the  first  place,  a  certain  set  of  doctrines,  theories,  rules 
and  principles,  but  the  great  central  fact  of  the  person  of 
the  God-man  ;  viz.,  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  divinely 
sent  Messiah,  who  did  His  work  as  God's  anointed 
prophet,  high  priest  and  king ;  and  that  He  is  the  Son  of 
the  Father,  very  God  of  very  God,  but  God  incarnate,  in 
whose  humanity  we  find  the  living  God,  our  Saviour.  And 
what  is  to  be  the  result  and  outcome  of  our  believing? 
"  that  believing  we  may  have  life  in  His  name."  A  real 
faith  brings  us  into  life-union  with  Him  ;  and  such  per- 
sonal contact  and  union  with  Him  guarantees  true  and  real 
life,  spiritual  life  in  this  world,  eternal  life  in  a  glorified 
body  in  the  world  to  come,  as  Paul  also  sums  up  the 
whole  Gospel  in  the  brief  statement,  that  the  righteous 
shall  //Vr  by  faith. 

This  Epilogue,  or  final  summing  up  of  John's  Gospel 


XX.  31]  CHAPTER  XX. 


Z^-l 


record,  leads  our  thoughts  back  to  the  Prologue  and  the 
first  chapter.  There  already  it  was  said:  "  As  many  as 
received  Him,  to  them  gave  He  the  right  to  become 
children  of  God  (a  new  divine  life  I),  even  to  them  that 
believe  on  His  name"  (i.  12).  There  already  we  hear 
Andrew's  joyful  confession :  "  We  have  found  the 
Messiah  (which  is  interpreted  the  Christy  (i,  41).  And 
soon  afterwards  Nathanael  adds  to  this  :  "  Thou  art  tlu- 
Son  of  God'"  (i.  49).  It  is  Jesus,  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  whom  Thomas  in  the  fulness  of  his  faith  confesses 
as  "  My  Lord  and  my  God." 


CHAPTER    XXL 

VI.  Appendix.    The  Appearance  of  Christ  at  the 
Lake  of  Galilee  (xxi.). 

I.    The  Draft  of  Fishes  (xxi.  i-8). 

1-8.  After  these  things  Jesus  manifested  himself  again  to  the  disciples 
at  the  sea  of  Tiberias  ;  and  he  manifested  himself  ow  this  wise.  There  were 
together  Simon  Peter,  and  Thomas  called  Didymus,  and  Nathanael  of  Cana 
in  Galilee,  and  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  two  other  of  his  disciples.  Simon 
Peter  saith  unto  them,  I  go  a  fishing.  They  say  unto  him.  We  also  come 
with  thee.  They  went  forth,  and  entered  into  the  boat ;  and  that  night  they 
took  nothing.  But  when  day  was  now  breaking,  Jesus  stood  on  the  beach ; 
howbeit  the  disciples  knew  not  that  it  was  Jesus.  Jesus  therefore  saith  unto 
them,  Children,  have  ye  aught  to  eat  ?  They  answered  him,  No.  And  he 
saith  unto  them.  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,  and  ye  shall  find. 
They  cast  therefore,  and  now  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it  for  the  multi- 
tude of  fishes.  That  disciple  therefore  whom  Jesus  loved  saith  unto  Peter, 
It  is  the  Lord.  So  when  Simon  Peter  heard  that  it  was  the  Lord,  he  girt 
his  coat  about  him  (for  he  was  naked),  and  cast  himself  into  the  sea.  But 
the  other  disciples  came  in  the  little  boat  (for  they  were  not  far  from  the 
land,  but  about  two  hundred  cubits  off),  dragging  the  net/////  of  fishes. 

Inasmuch  as  the  last  two  verses  of  the  preceding 
chapter  are  evidently  the  conclusion  of  the  original 
Gospel  of  St.  John,  this  chapter,  forming  a  kind  of  ap- 
pendix, must  have  been  added  at  a  later  period.  But,  as 
it  is  found  in  all  the  earliest  manuscripts  and  versions  and 
is  known  to  the  ancient  fathers,  it  must  have  been  added 
very  soon  after  the  completion  of  the  original  Gospel 
narrative,  and  before  it  was  circulated  among  the 
churches.  It  is  "  nearly  contemporaneous  "  with  the 
preceding  twenty  chapters,  as  Renan  says.  And  as  the 
whole  spirit  and  language  of  this  chapter  is  undoubtedly 
324 


XXI.  I.]  CHAPTER  XXL  325 

Johannean,  we  sec  no  reason  to  think  that  another  hand 
had  written  these  lines.^ 

Of  the  ten  apparitions  of  the  Lord  after  His  resurrec- 
tion this  is  the  seventh  ;  among  the  appearances  before 
an  assembly  of  disciples  it  is  the  third,  as  John  himself 
distinctly  states  (xxi.  14).  It  was  probably  several  weeks 
after  the  meeting  with  Thomas,  and  most  likely  on  an- 
other Lord's  Day,  that  the  Lord  manifested  Himself  to 
the  disciples  in  Galilee.  There  they  had  been  directed 
to  expect  Him  by  positive  orders  before  and  after  His 
resurrection  (Matt.  xxvi.  32  ;  Mark  xiv.  28  ;  Matt,  xxviii. 
7-10  ;  Mark  xvi.  7). 

At  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  where,  in  bygone  days,  the 
disciples  had  enjoyed  the  most  blessed  and  delightful 
communion  with  their  Lord,  we  find  seven  of  them  "  to- 
gether,'' either  in  one  house  or  in  one  town  or  village, 
such  as  Capernaum  or  Bethsaida.  The  order  in  which 
their  names  are  recorded  in  this  connection  is  quite  signi- 
ficant. Peter  and  Thomas  are  at  the  head  of  the  list. 
The  restored  denier  and  the  believing  skeptic,  for- 
ever the  most  striking  illustrations  of  the  power  of 
Christ's  resurrection.     After  them  follow  Nathanael,  the 

1  Grotius  was  the  first  to  introduce  another  theory  concerning  the  author- 
ship of  this  chapter,  which  in  recent  times  was  strongly  supported  by  the 
late  Professor  Grau  of  Koenigsberg.  They  find  the  occasion  for  the  addi- 
tion of  this  section  in  the  traditional  "saying  among  the  brethren  that  that 
disciple  should  not  die  "  (xxi.  23).  As  the  church  in  Ephesus  had  received 
the  explanation  of  the  origin  of  that  legend  from  the  Apostle  John  himself, 
and  as  "  the  saying  "  continued  among  the  Christians  even  after  his  death, 
the  presbyters  thought  it  best  to  add  John's  account  in  his  own  words  to 
his  gospel.  But  even  if  this  theory  should  be  correct  it  would  in  reality  only 
explain  the  addition  of  two  verses  (22  and  23),  without  covering  the  rest  of 
this  chapter.  The  majority  of  commentators  therefore,  including  quite  oi^- 
posite  types  of  theology,  are  decidedly  in  favor  of  thejohannean  origin  of 
this  chapter.  (Richard  Simon,  Calovius,  Wegscheider,  Guericke,  Credner, 
Tholuck,  Lange,  Ebrard,  Stier,  Luthardt,  Hengstenberg,  Godet  and  others.) 


326  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  2,  3. 

sons  of  Zebedee  and  two  other  of  His  disciples,  possibly 
Andrew  and  Philip.  The  place  which  in  this  list  is  as- 
signed to  the  "  sons  of  Zebedee,"  one  of  them  the  writer 
of  this  Gospel,  seems  to  us  a  very  strong  evidence  that 
John  himself  wrote  this  addition  to  his  Gospel.  Any 
disciple  of  his,  or  presbyter  of  the  Church  at  Ephesus, 
would  have  given  another  place  in  this  list  to  the  last 
survivor  of  the  Apostles,  the  revered  and  beloved  John. 
After  the  last  meeting  with  the  Lord  in  Jerusalem, 
after  the  solemn  commission  they  received  from  Him 
(xx.  21-23),  ^""'^  ^I's  hardly  prepared  for  such  a  trivial  every- 
day proposition  as  that  of  Peter  :  "  I  go  a  fishing."  And, 
what  is  perhaps  even  more  astonishing,  they  all  with  one 
accord  agree  to  his  motion,  and  even  John  and  Thomas 
join  the  rest :  "  We  also  come  with  thee.'"  This  resolu- 
tion, however,  presents  to  us  a  significant  feature  of 
truthfulness  in  the  character  and  life  of  the  Apostles. 
Those  plain,  practical  fishermen  from  the  shores  of  the 
Galilean  Lake,  whom  the  Lord  had  called  to  be  His  co- 
workers in  the  building  up  of  His  kingdom,  are  no 
dreamers,  but  active  men  whose  very  life  it  was  to  work. 
With  all  the  light  and  happiness  which  the  resurrection 
of  Christ  had  brought  them,  they  were  now  at  a  some- 
what trying  period  of  waiting  and  expectancy.  The  as- 
cension of  their  Lord  and  the  coming  down  of  the  prom- 
ised Paraclete  were  the  two  great  facts  to  which  they 
were  looking  forward,  and  which,  after  a  meeting  with 
Christ  in  Galilee,  might  at  any  time  become  a  reality. 
And  just  at  this  time  the  sobej'  proposition  of  Peter  was 
eminently  happy  and  appropriate.  Their  hearts  filled 
with  the  great  things  they  have  seen  and  heard,  and 
looking  forward  to  the  greater  things  still  in  store  for 
them,  they  quietly  settle  down  to  the  practical  every-day 
work  of  their  former  life.     And  they  do  this  in  common. 


XXI.  3-5]  CHAPTER  XXI.  327 

It  would  have  been  a  different  thing  if  one  alone  had 
taken  up  his  former  trade,  separated  from  the  others. 
But  there  was  a  protection  and  a  blessing  in  the  very  fact 
of  their  associating  for  this  fishing  expedition.  Though 
the  lake,  and  shore,  and  net  and  boat  were  the  same  as 
of  old,  the  men  were  new  men.  Their  thoughts  are  with 
their  risen  Lord,  their  conversation  is  of  Him,  while 
their  sinewy  arms  are  wielding  the  oar  and  hauling  the 
net.  Whenever  He  appears  He  finds  them  at  work,  even 
though  their  heavenly  call  to  become  "  fishers  of  men  " 
may  seem,  for  a  time,  to  be  suspended. 

At  first,  however,  this  fishing  expedition  seems  to  be  a 
failure.  "  TJiat  night  they  took  nothing :  "  a  strong  re- 
minder of  another  night's  experience,  three  years  ago,  on 
that  same  lake  of  Galilee  (Luke  v.  i-ii).  This,  as  well  as 
the  order  of  the  Lord  about  casting  the  net,  together 
with  other  details,  was  particularly  intended  for  Peter, 
who  was  to  be  prepared  for  a  full  and  formal  re-instating 
in  his  Apostolic  office.  At  daybreak  Jesus  appears, 
standing  on  the  shore,  but  not  recognized  by  the  dis- 
ciples. He  opens  a  conversation  in  full  accordance  with 
the  situation  in  which  He  found  them  :  "  Children,  have 
ye  aught  to  cat  ?  "  referring  to  the  fishes  they  might  pos- 
sibly have  caught  during  the  night.  Their  short,  blunt 
answer  "  No,"  betrays  their  disappointment  after  an  un- 
successful night's  work,  and  perhaps  even  an  unwilling- 
ness to  be  disturbed,  as  they  are  busily  occupied  with 
their  work.  It  was,  no  doubt,  a  frequent  occurrence 
with  the  Galilean  fishermen  that  some  one  at  the  shore, 
waiting  for  the  boat  to  come  in,  greeted  them  from  afar 
with  the  question,  whether  anything  could  be  bought 
from  them  "  to  eat,"  literally  something  to  eat  with  the 
bread,  Tzixitrfpayiov,  a  relish,  which,  in  the  language  of  the 
people  around  the  Lake,  meant  nothing  but  fishes. 


328  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  6-8. 

But  the  stranger  who  wants  to  buy  fish  where  they 
have  none  to  sell,  continues  his  conversation  with  the 
advice  :  "  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of  the  boat  and 
ye  shall  find."  The  prompt  compliance  with  this  sugges- 
tion of  the  unknown  stranger  is  most  remarkable,  espe- 
cially as  there  is  not  a  word  said  about  it  by  any  of  the 
Apostles.  Was  there  a  remembrance  of  the  similar 
order:  "  Put  out  into  the  deep  and  let  down  your  nets 
for  a  draught  "  (Luke  v.  4),  and  a  divination  concerning 
that  person  on  the  shore,  in  the  hearts  of  the  disciples  ? 
According  to  our  text  there  is  only  one  among  them  who 
at  this  point  already  begins  to  realize  the  truth.  When 
the  net  was  cast  and  they  were  not  able  to  draw  it  for 
the  multitude  of  fishes,  John  said  to  Peter :  "  //  is  the 
Lord."  He  is  always  nearest  to  the  Lord  in  his  thoughts 
and  meditations.  He  is  first  in  contemplation,  intuition, 
recognition.  Peter  is  foremost  in  action.  And  those 
two  stand  side  by  side,  closely  united  here,  as  in  the 
night  of  the  Lord's  passion,  on  the  morning  of  His  resur- 
rection, and  afterwards  in  the  first  demonstrations  of  the 
life  and  activity  of  the  Pentecost  Church  (Acts  ii.-viii.). 
Without  waiting  for  the  slow  movement  of  the  boat, 
heavily  dragging  the  overburdened  net,  Peter  throws 
himself  into  the  water  to  swim  to  the  shore,  a  distance  of 
a  little  over  one  hundred  yards.  But  with  all  his  zeal, 
there  was  this  time  no  inconsiderate  haste  in  what  Peter 
did,  nor  did  he  forget  the  proper  reverence  towards  his 
Lord.  "  He  girt  his  coat  about  him  and  thus  he  cast 
himself  into  the  sea." 

2.    The  Feast  Prepared  for  the  Diseip/es  (xxi.  9-14). 

9-14.  So  when  they  got  out  upon  the  land,  they  see  a  fire  of  coals  there, 
and  fish  laid  thereon,  and  bread.  Jesus  saith  unto  them.  Bring  of  the  fish 
which  ye  have  now  taken.     Simon   Peter  therefore  went  up,  and  drew  the 


XXI.  9-12.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  329 

net  to  land,  full  of  great  fishes,  a  hundred  and  fifty  and  three  ;  and  for  all 
there  were  so  many,  the  net  was  not  rent.  Jesus  saith  unto  them,  Come 
and  break  your  fast.  And  none  of  the  disciples  durst  inquire  of  him,  Who 
art  thou  ?  knowing  that  it  was  the  Lord.  Jesus  cometh  and  taketh  the 
bread,  and  giveth  them,  and  the  fish  likewise.  This  is  now  the  third  time 
that  Jesus  was  manifested  to  the  disciples,  after  that  he  was  risen  from  the 
dead. 

Nothing  is  said  in  the  narrative  of  the  Evangehst  con- 
cerning what  transpired  between  the  Lord  and  Peter, 
before  the  other  Apostles  reached  the  shore.  There  was 
not  much  of  an  interval  between  his  arrival  and  that  of 
the  boat  with  the  other  disciples.  Certainly  Peter  did 
not  assist  the  Lord  in  preparing  and  arranging  that  table, 
to  which  they  were  invited.  Nor  is  there  any  indication 
of  angels  ministering  unto  the  Lord  in  those  preparations. 
John  simply  tells  us  of  everything  being  ready  for  them, 
"  a  fire  of  coals  there  and  fish  laid  thereon  and  bread,''  and 
the  impression,  evidently  intended  by  this  statement,  is 
that  of  a  miraculous  provision  made  by  the  omnipotent 
Lord  Himself.  And  yet,  with  all  that  the  Lord  had 
provided,  the  disciples  are  permitted  and  requested  to 
bring  in  also  of  the  fish  which  they  had  now  taken. 
Their  number,  one  hundred. and  fifty-three,  has  been  most 
marvellously  interpreted  by  the  fathers  in  fanciful  alle- 
gories, which  we  will  spare  our  readers. 

It  is  remarkable  how  few  words  arc  uttered  during  this 
whole  scene.  The  short  invitation  of  the  Lord  :  "  Come 
and  break  your  fast,"  is  all  that  is  spoken.  The  disciples 
were  by  this  time  fully  convinced  that  it  was  the  Lord 
whom  they  here  met  so  unexpectedly.  But  they  would 
have  liked  to  receive  an  affirmation  from  Himself  on 
this  point.  They  expected  it,  as  the  Lord  had  always 
given  it  on  former  occasions.  And  yet  they  had  not  the 
courage  to  solicit  such  an  assurance  of  His  identity. 
They  observed   a   reverent   silence  ;  and   only  when   the 


330  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  12,  13. 

Lord  in  His  accustomed  manner  acted  as  host  they  ven- 
tured to  partake  of  that  mysterious  meal.  How  impor- 
tant this  experience  was  to  them  and  how  sweet  the  re- 
membrance, is  shown  in  Acts  x.  41,  where  Peter  in  his 
address  before  CorneUus  of  Caesarea  says  :  "  We  did  eat 
and  drink  with  Him  after  He  rose  from  the  dead." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  both  the  miraculous  draught 
of  fishes,  and  this  mysterious  meal  on  the  shore  of  the 
Lake  of  Galilee,  have  a  symbolical  meaning  for  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  in  particular  for  the  work  and  ex- 
perience of  the  Apostles  and  their  successors  in  the 
ministry  of  the  word.  The  two  events  remind  us  of  two 
well-known  miracles  told  in  the  Gospel  history  :  The 
miraculous  draught  of  fishes  preceding  the  call  of  Peter 
and  John  to  the  Apostolic  ofifice  as  fishers  of  men  (Luke  v. 
1-2),  and  the  miraculous  feeding  of  the  five  thousand 
which  is  told  by  all  the  four  Evangelists.  Thus  here 
also  the  draught  of  fishes  foreshadows  the  work  of  the 
Apostles,  as  fishers  of  men,  with  the  assurance  from  their 
Lord  of  abundant  success  for  their  labor  and  toil.  The 
mysterious  meal,  following  the  draught  of  fishes,  symbol- 
izes the  spiritual  and  temporal  support,  the  strengthening 
and  refreshing  which  the  disciples  may  surely  expect 
from  their  glorified  Lord,  who  is  on  shore,  watching  over 
them  and  providing  for  them  while  they  toil  on  the  sea 
of  this  world. 

3.  Peter  and  JoJin  (xxi.  15-23). 
(^z.)  Peter  {^^\.  15-19). 

15-19.  So  when  they  had  broken  their  fast,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon  Peter, 
Simon,  so)i  of  John,  lovest  thou  me  more  than  these .''  He  saith  unto  him, 
Yea,  Lord;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  He  saith  unto  him,  Feed  my 
lambs.  He  saith  to  him  again  a  second  time,  Simon,  so7i  of  John,  lovest 
thou  me?     He  saith  unto  him,  Yea,  Lord  ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee. 


XXI.  15-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  33 1 

He  saith  unto  him,  Tend  my  slieep.  He  saitli  unto  )iini  the  third  time, 
Simon,  j(?//  of  John,  lovest  thou  me?  Peter  was  grieved  because  he  said 
unto  him  the  third  time,  Lovest  thou  me  ?  And  he  said  unto  him.  Lord, 
thou  knowest  all  things ;  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee.  Jesus  saith  unto 
him,  Feed  my  sheep.  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  When  thou  wast 
young,  thou  girdedst  thyself,  and  walkedst  whither  thou  wouldest :  but 
when  thou  shalt  be  old,  thou  shalt  stretch  forth  thy  hands,  and  another 
shall  gird  thee,  and  carry  thee  whither  thou  wouldest  not.  Now  this  he 
spake,  signifying  by  what  manner  of  death  he  should  glorify  God.  And 
when  he  had  spoken  this,  he  saith  unto  him,  Follow  me. 

After  the  meal  the  Lord  had  a  special  message  yet  for 
Peter  on  account  of  his  fall.  There  was  not,  by  this 
time,  any  doubt  among  the  disciples,  that,  in  spite  of  the 
denial  of  Peter,  his  relation  to  the  Lord,  as  well  as  to  the 
circle  of  the  disciples,  had  been  fully  re-established. 
They  knew  how  sincerely  penitent  he  was  ever  since 
that  terrible  fall,  when  he  had  gone  out  and  wept  bitterly. 
And  knowing  this  penitent  state  of  his  mind  and  re- 
membering their  own  weakness  and  instability,  they  had 
never  ceased  to  look  upon  him  as  one  of  their  own 
number.  A  significant  evidence  on  this  point  is  the 
close  association  between  Peter  and  John  which  we  can 
trace  all  through  the  history  of  those  days  (see  John 
XX.  2-10).  The  disciples,  of  course,  knew  of  the  special 
reference  to  Peter  in  the  first  Easter-Message  of  the 
angel  at  the  tomb  (Mark  xvi.  7).  Moreover  the  Lord 
had  appeared  to  him  first  of  all  the  Apostles  (Luke  xxiv. 
34;  I  Corinth,  xv.  5),  and  we  may  well  take  it  for  granted 
that  at  that  private  meeting  Peter  received  his  personal 
absolution,  the  full  assurance  from  the  Lord  Himself  of 
the  pardon  of  his  grievous  sin.  Even  the  gift  of  the 
Spirit,  when  the  Lord  breathed  upon  them,  and  the  com- 
mission of  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel,  on  the  first  even- 
ing after  the  resurrection,  included  Peter  as  well  as  the 
rest.     So  far  then  everything  seemed  to  be  in  order,  the 


332  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  15, 

transgression  blotted  out  and  the  fallen  Apostle  restored 
to  the  grace  of  his  Lord,  the  confidence  of  his  brethren, 
and  even  to  the  honor  and  responsibility  of  his  ministerial 
ofifice. 

And  yet,  the  offence  of  Peter  had  been  of  such  a  char- 
acter, that  a  public  and  formal  rehabilitation  seemed  to 
be  called  for  in  his  case.  It  was  to  take  place  before 
witnesses,  and  in  such  a  manner  that  it  would  at  once  be 
understood  as  an  offset  to  Peter's  denial.  And  we  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  however  painful  the  scene 
may  have  been  to  him,  it  was  Peter's  own  desire  to  have 
such  an  opportunity  of  submitting  to  a  well-deserved 
humiliation,  and  of  making  amends  for  the  offence  of  his 
denial,  by  a  threefold  confession  of  his  love  for  his  Lord. 
Only  in  this  way  he  would  be  enabled  after  his  restora- 
tion to  "stablish  his  brethen,"  as  the  Lord  had  predicted 
even  before  his  fall. 

In  opening  the  conversation  with  Peter  the  Lord  calls 
him  "  Simon  son  of  John'''  (Joanes,  Jonah,  Matt.  xvi.  17). 
He  goes  back  to  Peter's  original  name,  the  name  of  the 
natural  man,  as  it  appears  in  John  i.  42  and  as  the  Lord 
used  it  with  great  emphasis  when  he  warned  Peter  against 
the  danger  of  his  denial  (Luke  xxii.  31,  Simon,  Simon, 
behold  Satan  has  asked  to  have  you,  etc.).  For  the  fall 
was  really  Simon's  and  not  Peter's,  and  the  illustrious 
surname  "  Peter "  (Cephas)  had  been  forfeited  by  his 
attitude  during  the  passion  of  Christ,  especially  by  his 
denial. 

If  there  was  an  element  of  discipline  in  this  very 
address,  there  is  more  of  it  in  the  comparison  which  the 
question  of  the  Lord  introduces :  "  Lovest  thou  Me  more 
than  these?''  This  was  unmistakably  a  sharp  reminder 
of  Peter's  presumption  in  the  night  of  Christ's  betrayal, 
when  he  claimed  to  be  more  faithfully  attached  to  the 


XXI.  IS-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  333 

Lord  than  all  the  rest,  and  ready  to  do  and  to  suffer 
more  for  Him  than  tiic  other  disciples:  "If  all  shall  be 
offended  in  Thee  I  will  never  be  offended  (Matt.  xxvi. 
33  ;  Mark  xiv.  29).  I  will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thee  " 
(John  xiii.  37).!  Or  was  there  even  a  gentle  reference 
to  the  fact  that  at  that  very  moment  Peter's  affectionate 
heart  had  pushed  ahead  of  the  others  when  he  threw 
himself  into  the  sea;  when  Peter's  love  first  reached  the 
Lord  on  the  shore,  while  John's  love  had  first  recognized 
Him  from  afar  ?  But  in  the  fact  that  Peter's  love  to  the 
Lord  is  the  one  great  theme  of  this  examination,  there  was 
certainly  a  great  deal  of  encouragement  and  assurance 
for  the  Apostle.  And  the  language  and  spirit  of  Peter's 
answer  shows  him  in  the  most  favorable  light.  It  is  full 
of  the  gentleness  and  humility  of  a  broken  and  contrite 
heart.  No  translation  is  able  to  do  full  justice  to  it,  be- 
cause it  cannot  reproduce  the  change  of  words  which 
Peter  makes  in  speaking  of  his  love  to  Christ.  In  the 
question  of  Christ :  "  Lovest  thou  Me  more  than  these  ?  " 
the  Greek  verb  aya-a^  denotes  the  highest,  most  perfect 
kind  of  love  (diligere),  implying  a  clear  determination  of 
will  and  judgment,  and  belonging  particularly  to  the 
sphere  of  divine  revelation.  In  his  answer  Peter  sub- 
stitutes the  word  <pOm^  which  means  the  natural  human 
affection,  with  its  strong  feeling  or  sentiment,  and  is  never 
used  in  scripture  language  to  designate  man's  love  to 
God.^  While  the  answer  of  Peter  then  claims  only  an 
inferior  kind  of  love,  as  compared  to  the  one  contained 
in  Christ's  question,  he  nevertheless  is  confident  of  pos- 

^  An  opportunity  was  thus  offered  to  Peter  to  make  amends  not  only  to 
the  Lord  whom  he  had  grieved  by  his  denial,  but  also  to  his  fellow  disciples 
whom  he  had  slighted  and  hurt  by  his  overbearing  conduct — in  both  direc- 
tions a  highly  instructive  "  example  of  ecclesiastical  discipline."    (Grotius.) 

2  In  John  xvi.  27,  the  Lord  uses  it,  both  of  the  Father's  love  for  the  dis- 
ciples and  their  love  for  Him. 


334  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST. /OHiV.  [xxi.  15-17. 

sessing  at  least  such  love  for  his  Lord.  There  is  some- 
thing very  touching  in  this  humble  appeal  to  the  Lord  : 
"  Thou  knoivcst  that  I  love  TJicc^  He  hardly  trusts 
himself  in  this  important  matter.  He  has  found  out  by 
bitter  experience  that  he  does  not  know  his  own  heart 
sufficiently  ;  that  he  is  apt  to  deceive  himself  even  where 
he  means  to  be  most  sincere  in  his  feelings  and  utter- 
ances. But  the  Lord  knows  his  heart.  And  with  this 
appeal  to  His  knowledge  he  feels  himself  perfectly  safe. 
"Thou  knowest,  tliat  I  love  Thee."  There  is,  indeed,  no 
.uncertain  sound  in  this.  With  all  his  diffidence  in  him- 
self and  his  caution  not  to  think  of  himself  more  highly 
than  he  ought  to  think,  there  is  a  positive  assurance  on 
the  main  point  of  the  question  :   "  Yea,  Lord." 

After  this  answer  the  Lord  commits  to  Peter  the  care 
of  His  flock.  "  Feed  My  lambs!''  First  the  "  halieutics" 
(catching  the  fish),  then  the  "  pastorate "  (feeding  the 
flock).  It  is  a  testimonial  of  the  confidence  which  the 
Lord  places  in  him.  Without  saying  it  in  direct  words, 
He  accepts  the  confession  of  Peter's  love.  For  only  to 
a  loving  one  will  He  commit  His  beloved  lambs  which 
He  has  purchased  with  His  own  blood.  They  are  His 
own  ;  He  Himself  being  the  Chief-Shepherd,  who  needs 
no  vicars  or  substitutes  to  look  after  His  flock,  but  faith- 
ful, humble  and  loving  servants.  The  little  changes 
made  in  the  threefold  commission  of  the  Lord,  either  in 
the  verb  or  in  the  noun  are  all  significant.  "  Feed  My 
lambs "  He  says  the  first  time.  "  Tend  My  [little] 
sheep  "  {jzpo^a-ui)  the  second  tim-e  ;  "  feed  My  sheep  "  the 
third  time ;  {-po^o-a,  as  the  Sinaitic  and  other  manu- 
scripts read).  The  change  of  verbs  describes  the  different 
functions  of  the  pastoral  office :  ^^  feeding!'  providing 
healthy  nourishment  and  thus  sustaining  life ;  and 
"  tending!'  -oumv^etv,  ruling,  watching  over  the  flock,  guid- 


XXI.  15,  i6.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  335 

ing  and  protecting  it.  The  change  of  nouns  indicates  the 
different  classes  or  conditions  of  the  members  of  the  flock, 
from  the  Httle  ones  who  are  beginners  in  the  faith,  to  the 
adult  members  of  the  organized  congregation.  It  is  evident 
that  what  the  Lord  here  means  in  describing  Peter's 
commission  are  the  ordinary  functions  of  the  ministry 
of  the  word.  The  very  same  words  are  used  afterwards 
by  the  Apostles  themselves  in  charging  the  bishops  or 
presbyters  of  the  Churches  with  the  duties  of  their  office. 
Thus  Paul  says  to  the  elders  of  the  Church  at  Ephesus : 
"  Take  heed  unto  yourselves  and  to  all  the  flock,  in  the 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  you  bishops,  to  feed  the 
Church  of  God,  which  Repurchased  with  His  own  blood  " 
(Acts  XX.  28).  And  Peter  himself  exhorts  the  elders  of 
the  Churches  in  Asia  Minor  as  a  fellow  elder  and  a  wit- 
ness of  the  sufferings  of  Christ :  "  Tend  the  flock  of  God 
which  is  among  you  "  (i  Peter  v.  2).  It  is  essentially  the 
same  work  which  had  been  assigned  to  all  the  Apostles 
on  the  evening  of  the  Lord's  resurrection  (John  xx.  19  ff.). 
When  the  Lord  asked  for  a  second  time:  "Simon,  son 
of  John,  lovest  thou  Me?"  He  omitted  the  comparative 
reference  to  the  other  disciples,  which  had  been  in  His 
first  question  ("more  than  these?").  This  time  the 
question  confines  itself  to  Peter's  love  exclusively.  There- 
by the  Lord  seems  to  indicate  His  satisfaction  with  Peter's 
answer  on  this  point,  his  silence  on  the  measure  of  his 
love  as  compared  with  others.  Peter  has  given  up  those 
ambitious  comparisons.  He  has  enough  to  do  with  him- 
self. But  the  great  question  itself:  "  Lovest  thou  me  ?  " 
is  repeated.  It  is  always  the  fundamental  question  in 
Christ's  dealings  with  His  people,  and  for  the  pastor  in 
particular  it  is  the  great  theme  of  self-examination,  show- 
ing the  one  powerful  and  abiding  motive  for  true  faith- 
fulness in  the  holy  office. 


336  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  17-19. 

But  the  Lord  asks  even  a  third  time.  "  And  Peter  ivas 
grieved  because  He  said  unto  him  the  third  time :  Lovcst 
Thou  Me  ?  "  This  third  question  completed  the  direct 
reminder  of  the  three  denials.  This  is  a  painful  reminis- 
cence for  Peter,  full  of  humiliation  and  godly  sorrow.  But 
there  is  another  feature  in  this  question  of  Christ,  which 
was,  no  doubt,  strongly  felt  by  Peter,  though  it  is  entirely 
lost  to  us  in  the  translation  of  this  passage.  While  in  the 
first  two  questions  the  Lord  had  used  the  higher  word  for 
love  {ayar.d<i)  He  now,  in  this  third  question,  accepts  the 
word  used  in  the  two  previous  answers  of  Peter  (^lAsf?), 
which,  as  stated  above,  signifies  a  lower  grade  of  love. 
Does  then  the  Lord  question  even  this  human  affection  on 
Peter's  part  ?  Does  even  this  kind  of  love  need  careful 
examination,  deepening  and  maturing?  We  can  under- 
stand that  this  third  question,  in  this  particular  form,  was 
really  the  deepest  humiliation  for  Peter.  His  answer, 
consequently,  is  more  emphatic  than  before :  "  Lord, 
Thou  knowest  all  tilings^' — my  whole  life,  my  sinful  heart, 
my  pride  and  imprudence,  my  repentance  and  conversion, 
my  love  and  devotion,  all  that  Thou  hast  done  for  me,  all 
that  has  enabled  me  to  make  this  confession,  at  this  time — 
"  Thou  knoivest  that  I  love  Thee'' 

The  solemn  examination  and  the  formal  re-instatement 
of  the  fallen  disciple  having  thus  been  completed,  the 
Lord  for  a  moment  lifts  the  veil  from  the  future  course  of 
Peter's  life,  and  shows  him  that  suffering  and  a  martyr's 
death  will  be,  with  him  also,  the  climax  of  his  "glorifying 
God."  In  order  fully  to  appreciate  the  following  verses 
(18  and  19)  in  their  close  connection  with  the  preceding 
passage,  we  must  remember  the  whole  history  of  Peter's 
fall,  and  go  back  to  the  very  beginning  of  that  sad  ex- 
perience. We  find  it  at  the  point  (John  xiii.  36,  37) 
when  Peter  had  asked  the  Lord  :  "  Whither  goest  Thou  ?  " 


XXI.  1 8,  19.]  CHAPTER  XXL  337 

and  Jesus  answered  :  "  Whither  I  go,  thou  canst  not  fol- 
low Me  now,  but  tJiou  shalt  follow  afterzvards.''  Peter 
was  quite  unwilling  to  submit  to  this  decision  and  said 
unto  Him  :  "  Lord,  why  cannot  I  follow  Thee  now  ?  I 
will  lay  down  my  life  for  Thee."  To  this  the  Lord  an- 
swered with  the  revelation  of  his  imminent  denial. 

Now  that  Peter  is  restored  from  his  grievous  fall  the 
Lord  Himself  takes  up  the  broken  thread  again.  After 
all  these  experiences  of  the  fall,  the  examination  and  res- 
toration, Peter  is  now  in  a  condition  to  follozu  the  Lord 
to  suffering  and  to  a  martyr's  death.  If  his  denial  had 
betrayed  a  tendency  to  escape  from  such  hardships,  and 
even  an  unfitness,  for  the  time,  to  undergo  such  trials, 
this  revelation  of  the  Lord  concerning  the  end  of  his  life 
may  well  be  considered  as  an  acknowledgment  of  his  fitness 
to  seal  his  ministry  of  the  Gospel  with  a  martyr's  death, 
and  an  encouragement  to  persevere  and  to  be  faithful  unto 
death.  It  is  a  questionof  subordinate  importance  whether, 
in  the  details  of  this  prophecy,  the  Lord  intended  to  in- 
dicate crucifixion  as  the  mode  of  Peter's  death.  But  cer- 
tain it  is  that  he  predicts  a  time  of  suffering  and  a  violent 
death  for  him.  Over  against  the  independence  and  im- 
pulsiveness of  his  younger  days,  the  time  is  coming  when 
he  will  have  to  surrender  to  another  will,  and  be  led  and 
carried  whither  he  would  not.  And  perhaps  we  ought 
not  to  limit  the  meaning  of  this  prophecy  to  the  actual 
martyrdom  of  Peter,  with  its  bodily  sufferings.  Hence- 
forth it  was  the  great  lesson  and  test  of  his  life  to  have 
the  old  Simon  with  his  natural  Ego  crucified  in  steady 
self-denial.  True  pastors,  such  as  Peter  was  called  to  be, 
in  order  to  lead,  must  themselves  be  led  in  humble  sub- 
mission to  their  Lord.  And  every  Christian,  as  he  ad- 
vances in  years,  ought  to  grow  in  the  likeness  of  his  Lord 
whom  he  is  called  to  follow.     But  this  will  be  possible 


338  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  19-21. 

only  under  the  same  condition  under  which  Peter  is  here 
placed,  viz.  the  yielding  of  our  own  will  and  the  corre- 
sponding readiness  to  say  :     "  Thy  will  be  done." 


(/;.)  Jolin  (xxi.   20-23). 

20-23.  Peter,  turning  about,  seeth  the  disciple  wliom  Jesus  loved  follow- 
ing; which  also  leaned  back  on  his  breast  at  the  supper,  and  said.  Lord, 
who  is  he  that  betrayeth  thee  ?  Peter  therefore  seeing  him  saith  to  Jesus, 
Lord,  and  what  shall  this  man  do  ?  Jesus  saith  unto  him.  If  I  will  that  he 
tarry  till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ?  follow  thou  me.  This  saying  there- 
fore went  forth  among  the  brethren,  that  that  disciple  should  not  die  :  yet 
Jesus  said  not  unto  him,  that  he  should  not  die ;  but.  If  I  will  that  he  tarry 
till  I  come,  what  is  that  to  thee  ? 

After  the  words  of  re-instatement  and  of  prophecy  ad- 
dressed to  Peter  the  Lord  starts  to  go,  and  orders  Peter 
to  follow  Him.  This  command,  then,  besides  its  far- 
reaching  symbolical  meaning,  to  which  we  referred  in  the 
preceding  section,  must  also  be  taken  in  a  literal  and 
local  sense.  In  obedience  to  it  Peter  goes  after  the  Lord. 
But  he  at  once,  "  turning  about,"  notices  John,  who  also 
follows  them.  There  was  no  presumption  in  this  on  the 
part  of  the  beloved  disciple.  The  close  relations  between 
Peter  and  John,  and  more  than  that,  the  intimate  relation 
between  the  Lord  and  John,  fully  explain  and  justify  the 
action  of  John.  This  is  meant  by  the  significant  reference 
at  this  point  to  the  well-known  evidences  of  that  intimacy 
between  Jesus  and  the  beloved  disciple  "  which  also  leaned 
back  on  His  breast  at  the  supper,  and  said,  Lord,  who  is 
he  that  betrayeth  Thee?  " 

On  seeing  John  also  following,  Peter  asks  the  Lord  : 
"And  what  shall  this  man  do?"^  or,  as  the  marginal  note 
of  the  Revised  Version  has  it :  "  And  this  man,  what  ?  " 

1  This  word  referring  to  a  "doing"  on  the  part  of  John  is  particularly  ill 
chosen,  both  in  the  text  of  the  Revised  and  of  the  Authorized  Version. 


XXI.  20-22.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  ^-^^ 

What  of  him  ?  What  is  in  store  for  him  ?  This  question 
of  Peter  seems  quite  natural,  especially  if  we  remember 
the  close  friendship  between  these  two  apostles.  Peter 
had  received  from  the  Lord  the  revelation  concerning  the 
end  of  his  life,  his  sufferings  and  martyr's  death.  And  in 
his  sympathy  for  John,  and  the  anxiety  about  the  future 
of  his  friend,  the  question  would  readily  suggest  itself: 
What  is  ordained  for  John  ?  What  will  be  his  fate  ?  John 
himself  has  no  undue  desire  to  penetrate  into  the  unknown 
future,  he  is  satisfied  to  rest  in  the  Lord  and  to  follow 
*'  the  Lamb  whithersoever  He  goeth  "  (Revelation  xiv. 
4).  But  while  John  is  silent,  Peter  takes  it  upon  himself 
to  ask  the  Lord  in  behalf  of  his  friend,  as  formerly  John 
had  put  a  question  to  the  Lord  in  behalf  of  Peter  (John 
xiii.  24).  From  the  character  of  Christ's  answer  we  are 
forced  to  think  that,  with  all  the  kindly  interest  in  the 
future  development  of  the  life  of  John  shown  by  Peter's 
question,  there  must  have  been  in  it  something  which  met 
with  the  decided  disapproval  of  the  Lord.  And  this  was 
undoubtedly  the  undue  curiosity  of  Peter,  who  concerned 
himself  about  the  affairs  of  his  companion,  and  desired  to 
penetrate  into  the  mystery  of  his  future,  at  a  time  when 
the  Lord  had  given  him  such  a  solemn  and  important  rev- 
elation concerning  his  own  life,  in  which  he  might  have 
found,  just  at  that  time,  ample  material  for  earnest,  con- 
centrated meditation. 

The  answer  of  the  Lord,  however,  while  in  its  pointed 
shortness  and  in  the  direct  words  :  "  What  is  that  to 
thee  ?  "  it  is  an  unmistakable  reproof  for  Peter,  after  all 
gives  some  information  on  the  very  point  about  which 
He  had  been  asked  :  '■'■  If  I  ivill  that  he  tarry  till  I  conic.'" 
A  number  of  commentators  do  not  find  any  positive 
statement  in  this  sentence.  They  take  it  in  a  purely 
hypothetical  sense,   emphasizing  the   "  if "   so  strongly, 


340  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  22. 

that  they  conclude:  it  was  by  no  means  the  real  intention 
of  the  Lord  that  John  should  tarry  till  He  comes.^  But 
we  cannot  accept  this  interpretation.  There  is,  and  we 
believe  it  to  be  intentionally  so,  a  certain  mysteriousness 
hanging  over  these  words  of  Christ.  But  He  does  not 
simply  silence  Peter.  He  makes  a  statement  concerning 
the  future  of  John,  and  He  makes  it  in  close  connection 
with  what  He  has  just  before  revealed  to  Peter  ;  and, 
moreover.  He  frames  His  words  in  such  a  way  that  we 
are  driven  to  find  in  them  a  contrast  to  the  martyrdom 
of  Peter.  The  Lord,  in  whose  hand  are  the  lives  of  His 
servants,  says  to  Peter :  Go,  die,  seal  thy  ministry  with 
a  martyr's  death  ;  and  to  John  :  Stay,  tarry  till  I  come. 
If  the  death  of  Peter  was  the  central  thought  of  the 
prophecy  concerning  his  future,  the  prolonged  life  of 
John  is  the  centre  of  this  communication  concerning  the 
beloved  disciple.  There  was  no  mistake  in  this  starting 
point  of  the  traditional  legend  of  the  early  church,  how- 
ever much  it  erred  in  drawing  from  it  the  inference  : 
"  That  that  disciple  should  not  die."  But  what  is  meant 
by  the  words  of  Christ  :  "  till  I  come  ?  "  The  true 
meaning  of  the  whole  statement  evidently  depends  on 
the  interpretation  of  that  one  word  of  the  original  "ipx^imi 
(I  come).  Does  the  Lord  here  mean  His  coming  to  John 
in  an  easy,  natural  death,  over  against  the  pains  and 
tortures  of  Peter's  martyrdom?^  Or  does  His  coming 
signify  His  second  advent  at  the  end  of  the  world,  when 

1  Thus  Erasmus  substitutes  "  velim  "  instead  of  "  volo  " — "  if  it  should  be 
my  will  "  instead  of  "  if  I  will ;  "  losing  entirely  that  remarkable  dignity  and 
majesty  with  which  the  Lord  here  positively  asserts  His  absolute  power  over 
the  life  and  death  of  His  own.  The  latest  commentary  of  Bugge  also  de- 
fends this  position  of  an  unreal  hypothesis. 

2  This  is  the  interpretation  of  Augustine,  Grotius,  Olshausen,  Lange, 
Grau,  really  amounting  to  the  statement  that  John  should  tarry,  that  is» 
should  live  until  he  should  die  a  natural  death. 


XXI.  23-]  CHAPTER  XXI.  341 

He  shall  come  to  judge  the  quick  and  the  dead  ?  ^ 
Neither  of  these  two  interpretations  is  in  harmony  with 
the  context.  But  we  find  in  Matt.  xvi.  28  (and  Mark  ix. 
i)  a  statement  of  the  Lord  which  may  give  us  some  light 
on  the  passage  before  us.  There  the  Lord  says  that 
"  some  of  them  that  stand  here  shall  in  nowise  taste  of 
death  till  they  see  the  Son  of  Man  coming  in  His  King- 
dom." This,  as  is  generally  admitted,  refers  to  Christ's 
coming  in  judgment  over  His  people,  in  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  (in  the  year  70  A.  D.).  But  more  than  this, 
as  Bengel  and  Stier  particularly  have  set  forth  in  very 
forcible  manner.  The  Lord  came  in  a  specific  sense  to 
His  beloved  disciple  when  He  gave  him  that  Book  of 
Revelation,  whose  theme  from  beginning  to  end  is  :  I 
come,  behold,  I  come  !  John  was  reserved  for  the  work 
of  writing  the  last  and  crowning  revelation  of  the  Script- 
ures, and  after  finishing  the  Apocalypse  he  departed. 
"  For  Peter  the  cross,  for  John  the  Apocalypse  !  Behold 
what  a  distinction  for  the  beloved  disciple  !  "  (Bengel  : 
Petro  crux.  Joanni  apocalypsis.  Vide,  quanta  dignatio 
erga  discipulum  dilectum !). 

4.  Conchision.     The  Gospel  Attested  {^yi\.  24,  25). 

24-25.  This  is  the  disciple  which  beareth  witness  of  these  things,  and 
wrote  these  things ;  and  we  know  that  his  witness  is  true. 

And  there  are  also  many  other  things  which  Jesus  did,  the  which  if  they 
should  be  written  every  one,  I  suppose  that  even  the  world  itself  would  not 
contain  the  books  that  should  be  written. 

Thus  far  this  supplementary  chapter  (xxi.  1-23)  has 
pictured  the  future  lifework  of  the  Apostles,  its  labor  and 

1  This  then  would  practically  be  the  ancient  tradition,  which  is  distinctly 
rejected  by  John  himself.  And  yet,  even  a  man  like  Lavaterissaid  to  have 
actually  believed  this. 


342  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN.  [xxi.  24,  25. 

toil,  its  fruit  and  blessings,  its  joys  and  trials,  culminating 
in  bloody  martyrdom  for  the  one  and  in  quiet,  silent 
waiting  for  the  coming  of  the  Lord,  for  the  other.  With 
this  picture  the  author's  work  is  finished. 

What  we  have  here  in  these  last  two  verses,  is  written 
by  another  hand  than  that  of  the  author.  The  last  verse 
is  omitted  from  the  text  of  the  Gospel  by  Tischendorf, 
Gebhardt  and  others  on  the  testimony  of  the  Sinaitic 
Codex,  which,  however  on  this  point  is  not  supported  by 
any  other  manuscript.  But  it  was  probably  added,  to- 
gether with  the  24th  verse  at  the  time  of  the  publication 
of  the  Gospel. 

Three  distinct  statements  are  made  in  this  addition : 
I.  That  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  that  is  John,  is 
the  writer  of  this  Gospel.  2.  That  his  witness  is,  attested 
as  absolutely  reliable.  3.  That  it  is  utterly  impossible 
that  all  the  things  which  Jesus  did,  could  ever  be  fully 
written  out.  This  testimony  is  given  by  a  circle  of  men, 
who  were  in  a  position  to  know  about  these  things  and 
who  speak  with  the  assurance  that  their  testimony  will 
have  weight  and  authority  with  the  church  at  large. 
One  of  their  number  is  singled  out  in  the  25th  verse  in 
that  peculiar  statement  "  I  suppose  "  {olixat),  which  cer- 
tainly could  never  have  been  John's  mode  of  expressing 
himself. 

There  can  hardly  be  any  doubt  as  to  the  circle  from 
which  this  final  addition  and  attestation  of  the  Gospel 
comes.  It  is  the  church  in  Ephesus,  where  John  spent 
the  latter  part  of  his  life,  which  through  her  elders  gave 
this  testimony  to  the  authenticity  not  only  of  this  sup- 
plementary chapter,  but  thereby  also  of  the  whole  Gospel 
of  St.  John.  Into  their  hands  the  author  had  probably 
first  given  his  Gospel,  together  with  the  supplement  xxi. 
1-23.     And  it  was  probably  during  the  lifetime  of  the 


XXI.  24,  25.]  CHAPTER  XXI.  343 

Apostle   that  this  testimony  of  the  church  in  Ephesus 
was  added. 


The  legend  that  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved,  the 
disciple  who  witnessed  and  wrote  these  things,  would 
never  die,  is,  as  John  himself  declared,  without  historical 
reality.  But  there  is  a  beautiful  significance  in  it  for  the 
very  Gospel  which  John  wrote.  It  has  been  declared 
dead  again  and  again  by  the  enemies  of  our  Christian 
faith.  They  have  buried  it  and  locked  and  sealed  its 
tomb.  But  the  message  goes  forth  again  and  again 
among  the  brethren,  that  that  Gospel  should  not  die. 
And  this  is  not  a  saying  but  a  fact,  attested  by  impreg- 
nable witness.     It  lives  and  shall  live  forever. 


SYNOPSIS  OF  THE  GOSPEL  OF  ST.  JOHN. 


FIRST  PART —CHAPTERS  I.— IV. 

THE  BEGINNING  OF  FAITH  IxN  THE  INCARNATE  WORD  AS 
THE  ABSOLUTE  REVELATION  OF  GOD. 

L  Opening  Section  ["The  Prologue"]  I.  1-18. 

1.  Begi7t7ting  and  Theme  of  the  Gospel. 

2.  The  Word  ^''  Logos'''). 

3.  The  Eternal  and  Creative  Word  (i.  1-3). 

4.  The  Word  of  Salvation  (i.  4-9). 

5.  The  Word  Rejected  by  the  World  {i.  10,11). 

6.  The  Word  Received  by  the  Childre?i  of  God  {^i.   12,  13). 

7.  The  Word  Incarnate  {\.  14). 

8.  The  Incarnate  Word  Divelling  amo7ig  Us  (i.  14). 

9.  Receiving  out  of  His  Fulness  (^\.  15-18). 

II.  The  Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  (I.  19-34). 

1.  First  Testimony  before  the  fewish  Delegation  (i.  19-28). 

2.  Second  Testimony  of  fohn   the  Baptist  Addressed  to  his  Disciples 

(i.  29-34). 

III.  The  First  Disciples  of  the  Lord  (I.  35-51). 

IV.  The  First  Sign  (II.  i-ii). 

V.  The  First  Prophecy  of  the  Lord  Concerning  His  Death  and 

Resurrection  (II.  12-25). 

VI.  The  Conversation  with  Nicodemus  (III.  1-21). 

1.  Character  of  Nicodemus  and  his  Motives  in  Coming  to  fesus  (iii.  i,  2). 

2.  The  Necessity  of  a  New  Birth  (iii.  3). 

3.  The  Nature  and  Means  of  the  A^ew  Birth  (iii.  4-8). 

4.  The  Heavenly  Witness  (iii.  9-13). 

5.  The  Serpent  in  the  Wilder7iess  (iii.  14,  15). 

345 


346  SYNOPS/S. 

6.  The  Father's  Love  the  Headspring  of  Salvation  (iii.  i6). 

7.  Salvation,  7iot  Judgment,  the  Mission  of  the  Son  of  God  (iii.  17). 

8.  The  Present  Judgment  Incurred  by  Unbelievers  (iii.  18,  19). 

9.  The  Climax  aftd  the  Parting  Word  to  Nicodemus  (iii.  20,  21). 

VII.  Jesus  in  Jud^a  and  the  Last  Testimony  of  John  the  Baptist 

(III.  22-36). 

1.  Jesus  in  Jitdaa  (iii.  22-24). 

2.  The  Occasion  for  the  Last  Testimony  of  the  Baptist  (iii.  25,  26). 

3.  The  Last  Testimony  of  the  Baptist  (iii.  27-36). 

(a.)  Christ  and  the  Baptist  (iii.  27-30). 
(b)  Christ  and  the  World  {ya.  2^-2,6). 

VIII.  Samaritan  Faith  (IV.  1-42). 

1.  Historical  Introduction  (iv.  1-6). 

2.  The  Conversation  with  the  Samaritan  Woman  (iv.  7-26). 

(a.)    The  Living  Water  (iv.  7-15). 
(b.)    The  Prophet  (iv.   16-26). 

3.  The  Conversation  with  the  Disciples  (iv.  27-38). 

4.  Believing  Samaritans  (iv.  39-42). 

IX.  Galilean  Faith  (IV.  43-54). 

1.  Historical  Introduction  (iv.  43-45)- 

2.  The  Nobleman's  Unbelief  Rebuked  (iv.  46-48). 

3.  The  Nobleman's  Faith  Supported  and  Trained  (iv.  49,  50). 

4.  The  Nobleman's  Faith  Crowned  with  Experience  (iv.  51-54). 

5.  The  Noblematt's  House  Believi>tg  (iv.  53). 


SECOND  PART —CHAPTERS  V.— XII. 

THE  HOSTILITY  OF  UNBELIEF  THAT  REJECTS  THE  INCAR- 
NATE WORD. 

I.  The  Beginning  of  the  Conflict  in  Jud^^a  (V,  1-47). 

1.  77^,?  Healing  of  the  Sick  Ma?i  at  the  Pool  of  Bethesda  (v.  1-16). 

2.  The  Lord's  Discourse  folloivitig  this  Miracle  (v.  17-47). 

{a.)    The  Personal  Relatio7i  between  the  Father  and  the  Son  the 

Expla7iation  of  the  Latter' s  Work  (v.  17-30). 
(b)    The  Testi?nony  of  the  Father  (v.  31-40). 
(c.)   Unbelief  of  the  Jews  Lamented  and  Explained  (v.  41-47). 


SYNOPSIS.  347 

II.  The  Crisis  in  Galilee  (VI.  1-71). 

(A.)   T/ie  Miraculous  Feeding  (Yl.   1-15). 

(B.)   IVic  Meeting  with   His  Disciples   on  the    Water  (VI. 
16-21). 

(C.)  The  Discoufses  Following  these  Miracles  in  Capernaum 
(VI.  22-59). 

1.  Historical  Introduction  (vi.  22-24). 

2.  The  Jews  Asking  Questions  (vi.  25-40). 

3.  The  Jews  Alurtnuriug  (vi.  41-51). 

4.  The  Jews  Striving  One  with  Another  (vi.  52-59). 

(D.)   The  Wavering  Disciples  and  the  Crisis  (VI.  60-71). 

1.  The  Wavering  Disciples  (vi.  60-65). 

2.  The  Decision  oj the  Twelve  (vi.  66-69). 

3.  The  Devil  among  Them  (vi.  70,  71). 

III.  The  Conflict  in  Jerusalem  again  Taken  up  (VII.  i — VIII.  59). 
(A.)  Historical  Introductio?i  (VII.  1-13). 

(B.)   Three  Discourses  during  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles  {^IW. 
14-36). 

1.  Christ's  Authority  for  Taiching  {\'\\.  14-24). 

2.  Whence  is  Christ?  (y\\.  25-32). 

3.  His  Approaching  Departure  (\\\.  33-36). 

(C.)   The  Discourses  on  the  Last  Day  of  the  Feast  (VII.  37 — 
VIII.  59). 

1.  Jesus  the  Fountain  of  Life  (vii.  37-52.) 

{a.)  The  Words  of  the  Lord  (vii.  37-39). 

(b.)  The  Division  in  the  Multitude  (vii.  40-44). 

(<r.)   77/1?  Chief  Priests  and  Pharisees  (vii.  45-52). 

2.  Jesus  the  Light  of  the  World  (viii.  12-20). 

3.  The  Lifting  up  of  the  Son  of  Man  (viii.  21-30). 

4.  Last    Words  on   and    after    the   Feast     of    Tabernacles    (viii. 

31-59)- 
(a.)    Whose  Servants  are  the  Jews  ?  {\\v\.  31-36). 
(b.)    Whose  Childreti  are  the  Jcms  ?  (viii.  37-47). 
{c.)    The  Eternal  Majesty  of  Christ  (viii.  48-59). 


348  SYNOPSIS. 

IV.  The  Conflict  WITH  THE  Unbelieving  Jews  Reaching  its  Climax 
(IX.  I— XII.  50). 
(A.)   T/ie  Healing  of  the  Mivi  Born  Blind  (IX.  1-41). 

1.  The  Fact  itself  {\\.  i-\2). 

2.  Investigation  by  the  Pharisees  (ix.  13-34). 

{a.)  First   Appearance   of  the  Man   before  the  Pharisees  (ix. 

13-17)- 
(b.')   Questioning  his  Parents  (ix.  18-23). 
(r.)  Second  Appearance   and    Expulsion    of   the    Man    Born 

Blind  (ix.  24-34). 

3.  Jesus  the  Saviour  of  the  Blind  and  the  Judge  of  the  Seeing  (ix. 

35-41). 


(B. )   The  Discourses  Following  the  Heali?ig  of  the  Man  Born 
Blind  (X.  1-42). 

1.  First  Discourse  (x.  1-21). 

(«.)    Christ  the  Shepherd  (x.  1-6). 

(b^   Christ  the  Door  (x.  7-10). 

(f.)   One  Flock  and  one  Shepherd  (x.  11-18). 

{d.)  hnpression  Made  by  these  Words  on  the  Jews  (x,  19-21). 

2.  Second  DiscoJirse  071  the  Feast  of  the  Dedication  (x.  22-42). 

(rt.)  Historical  Introduction  (x.  22-24). 

(b.^  First  Section  of  the  Discourse:  I  and  the  Father  are  One 

(x.  25-31). 
(c.)  Second  Part  of  the  Discourse.      Christ's   Defence   against 

the  Charge  of  Blasphefny  (x.  32-39). 
{d.)  Christ's  Retreat  to  Percea  (x.  40-42). 


(C.)   The  Raising  of  Lazarus.   The  Crisis  in  fudcea  {Xl.  i-^']). 

1.  Sickness  and  Death  of  Lazarus,  and  Message  to  Jesus  (xi.  1-16). 

2.  The  Miracle  of  the  Raising  of  Lazart(s  (xi.  17-44). 

[a.)  Arrival    of  Jesus    and    Conversation   with    Martha    (xi. 

17-27)- 
(/;.)  Meeting  with  Mary  (xi.  28-37). 
(c.)  Jesus  at  the  Tomb  (xi.  38-44). 

3.  The  Effect  of  the  Miracle  (xi.  45-57). 

{a.)   On  those  Present  at  the  Tomb  (xi.  45,  46). 

(b.)   On  the  Chief  Priests  (xi.  47,  53). 

(<:.)    The  Lord's  Retreat  into  Ephrcmn  (xi.  54-57)- 


SYNOPSIS. 


349 


(D.)    T/ie   End  of  the  Public    Ministry   of    Christ    (XII. 
1-50)- 

1.  The  Supper  at  Bethany  (xii.  1-8). 

2.  Excitement  among  the  Common  People  and  Counsel  of  the  Chief 

Priests  to  Put  Lazarus  to  Death  (xii.  9-1 1). 

3.  Entrance  into  Jerusalem  (xii.    12-19). 

4.  The  Greeks  Knocking  at  the  Door  of  the  Kingdotn  (xii.  20-36). 

(a.)    The  Historical  Fact  (xii.  20-22). 
[b.)  Significance  of  this  Fact  (xii.  23-36). 

1.  For  the  Lord  Himself  (xii.  23-30). 

2.  For  the  World  (xii.  31-33). 

3.  For  Israel  (xii.  34-36). 

5.  Final  Review  of  the  Unbelief  of  the  Jei-vs  (xii.  37-43). 

(«.)    Their  Unbelief  Prophesied  by  Isaiah  (xii.  37-41). 
(b.)   Coiuardly  Fear  0/ the  Pharisees  (xii.  42,  43). 

6.  Summing  up  of  the  Lord's  Testimony  (xii.  44-50). 


THIRD  PART.— CHAPTERS  XIII.— XXI. 

THE  TRIUMPH  OF  FAITH— THE  INCARNATE  WORD  GLORI- 
FIED AMONG  HIS  OWN. 

SECTION  FIRST  :  THE  PARTING  DISCOURSES  OF  THE  LORD 
(XIII.   I— XVIT.  26). 

I.  Historical  Introduction  (XIII.  1-30). 

\.  Jesus  Washing  the  Disciples'  Feet  (xm.  I-17). 
2.  Judas  Iscariot  Forced  to  Withdraw  (x.m.  18-30). 

II.  First   Parting   Words  Addressed  to  the  Eleven  (XIII.  31 — 

XIV.  4). 

1.  The  Son  of  Alan  Glorified  [x\\\.  31,  32). 

2.  The  Imminent  Departure  (xiii.  ^Z)' 

3.  The  New  Commandment  (xiii.  34,  35). 

4.  Peter's  Interruption  Ans7vered  by  the  Lord  (xiii.  36-3S). 

5.  The    Disciples  Comforted  Concerning   the    Lord's  Departure  (xiv 

1-4). 


350 


SYNOPSIS. 


III.  Further  Interruptions  of  the  Disciples  Answered  by  the 

Lord  (XIV.  5-1 1). 

1.  Thomas  (xiv.  5-7). 

2.  Philip  (xiv,  8-11). 

IV.  The  Parting  Words  Continued  (XIV,  12-31). 

1.  The  Disciples  Doing  the  Works  0/ Jesus  {xiv.  12-14). 

2.  Praying  for  Another  Comforter  (xiv.  15-17). 

3.  The  Lord  Coming  with  the  Father  (xiv.  18-21). 

4.  To  Whom  will  He  Manifest  Himself?  (xiv.  22-24). 

5.  The  Teaching  of  the  Holy  Spirit  (xiv.  25,  26). 

6.  The  Peace  of  Jesus  (xiv.  27). 

7.  The  Believers'  Joy  in  Christ's  Departure  (xiv.  28,  29). 

8.  Jesus  and  the  Prince  of  the  World  (xiv.  30,  31). 

V.  New  Parting  Discourse  (XV.  i— XVI.  33). 

1.  The  Vine  ajtd  the  Branches  (xv.  1-8). 

2.  Abiding  171  His  Love  by  Keeping  His  Commandmefits  (xv.  9-17), 

3.  The  World's  Hatred  against  the  Disciples  (xv,  18-25). 

4.  Jesus  Sending  the  Spirit  (xv.  26-xvi.  1 5). 

5.  Last  Words  to  the  Disciples  (xvi.  16-33). 

VI.  The  High  Priest's  Prayer  (XVII.  1-26). 

1.  Introductory  Remarks. 

2.  The  High  Priest  Praying  for  Hitnself  (xv\\.  1-5). 

3.  The  High  Priest  Praying  for  the  Disciples  (xvii.  6-19). 

4.  The  High  Priest  Praying  for  All  Believers  (xvii.  20-24). 

5.  Coticliision  of  the  High  Priest's  Prayer  (xvii.  25,  26). 


SECTION   SECOND:  THE    HISTORY  OF  THE   PASSION   AND 
RESURRECTION  OF  THE  LORD  (XVIIL  i— XXI.  25). 

I.  The  Capture  of  Jesus  (XVIII.  i-ii). 

1.  Arrival  of  the  Band  (xwm.  I-3). 

2.  Jesus  Meeting  the  Band  (xviii.  4-9). 

3.  Peter  Striking  with  the  Sword  (xviii.  10,  11). 

II.  Jesus  before  the  High  Priest  (XVIII.  12-27). 

1.  Jesus  Taken  to  Annas  (xviii.  12-14.) 

2.  First  Denial  of  Peter  (win.  15-18). 

3.  Hearing  of  Jesus  before  Annas  {yM'iii.  19-24). 

4.  Second  and  Third  Denial  of  Peter  (xviii.  25-27). 


SYNOPSIS.  351 

III.  Jesus  before  the  Governor  Pilate  (XVIII.  28— XIX.  16). 

1.  First  Charge  of  the  Jnvs  (xviii.  28-32). 

2.  Jesus  the  King  (xviii.  33-38  '), 

3.  Jesus  and  Barabbas  (xviii.  38  ^-40). 

4.  Scourging  and  Mocking  0/  the  A'ittg  0/ the  Jews  {\\x.  I-3). 

5.  Behold  the  Man  (xix.  4-6). 

6.  Jesus  the  Son  of  God  (xix.  7-1 1). 

7.  Ccesar's  Friendship.      The   Governor  Yields  (xix.  12-16). 

IV.  The  Execution  (XIX.  17-42). 

1.  The  Crucifixion  (xix.  17,  18). 

2.  The  Inscription  on  the  Cross  (xix.  19-22). 

3.  Dividing  His  Garments  (xix.  23,  24). 

4.  Last  Will  of  Mary's  Son  (xix.  25-27). 

5.  Death  of  Jesus  (xix.  28-30). 

6.  Piercing  Nis  Side  {x\x.  31-37). 

7.  The  Burial  of  Christ  {x.\x,  38-42). 

V.  The  Resurrection  of  Jesus  (XX.  1-31). 

1.  Peter  atid  John  at  the  Tomb  (xx.  i-io). 

2.  Mary  Magdalene  {\x.   11-18). 

3.  First  Appearance  before  the  Disciples  (xx.  19-23). 

4.  Second    Appearance   before    the    Disciples,    including    Thomas     (xx. 

24-29). 

5.  Conclusion  (xx.  30,  31). 

VI.  Appendix.    The  Appearance  of  Christ  at  the  Lake  of  Galilee 

(XXI.  1-25). 

1.  The  Draft  of  Fishes  (xx\.  1-8). 

2.  The  Feast  Prepared  for  the  Disciples  (xxi.  9-14). 

3.  Peter  and  John  (xxi.  15-23). 

(a.)  Peter  (xxi.  15-19). 
{b.)    Johti  (xxi.  20-23). 

4.  Conclusion.      The  Gospel  Attested  (xxi.  24,  25). 


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